Church of Cyprus prepares large-scale charter reform

The Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus will consider an updated Charter in mid-May, which could significantly change the order of church governance and the procedure for electing bishops. This was announced by the spokesperson of the Holy Archbishopric, Christotakis Efstathiou.

The Synod meeting will take place on May 18–20, and the main item on the agenda will be the approval of the revised Charter of the Church of Cyprus. According to Efstathiou, the work of the special commission has already been completed. It included specialists in canon law and hierarchs with a legal background.

Over the course of three days, members of the Synod will discuss the proposed changes and consider remarks in order to ultimately approve the final version of the document.

One of the key innovations could be a change in the system for electing bishops. It is proposed to abandon the procedure of forming a list of three candidates and to transfer the right of direct selection of bishops to the Holy Synod itself.

As noted by the representative of the Archbishopric, the reform is aimed at reducing tension and preventing conflicts that often accompany church elections. According to him, the updated mechanism will help avoid manifestations of fanaticism and division within the church environment.

In addition, the revision of the Charter will affect a number of legal and administrative procedures. The Church believes that the current system is too complex and delays decision-making. The new provisions should simplify internal processes and make the work of the Synod more efficient.

It is expected that the discussion of the reform will be one of the most significant events for the Church of Cyprus in recent years.