Chrysostomos I of Cyprus

Chrysostomos I, born Christoforos Aristodimou (Greek: Χριστόφορος Αριστοδήμου; 27 September 1927 – 22 December 2007), was the Archbishop of Cyprus from 1977 to 2006.

Archbishop Chrysostomos I of Cyprus

Biography

He was born in the village of Statos in Paphos, British Cyprus. By the scholarship of Kykkos Monastery, where he served as a monk, he finished the Pancyprian Gymnasium (High School) in 1950 and he studied theology and literature in the University of Athens. He then returned to Kykkos Monastery and was ordained deacon in February 1951. In October 1961, he was ordained priest and returned to the Pancyprian Gymnasium where he taught theology for 5 years.

In 1968, he was elected bishop of Constantia before becoming Bishop of Paphos in July 1973. On 12 November 1977, he was elected Archbishop of Cyprus in succession to the President and Archbishop of Cyprus, Makarios III, who had died the same year.[1] Chrysostomos was known for his vigorous opposition to the decriminalization of homosexuality in Cyprus, stating "The Church condemns homosexuality as a sinful and repulsive act because it is contrary to the spirit of Scripture and the law of nature."[2]

In April 2000, he suffered a severe head injury when he fell from the staircase of the Archiepiscopal Palace and never recovered.[3] In 2004, it became known that he suffered from Alzheimer's disease[4] and he fell into a coma the following year.

He remained Head of the Church of Cyprus due to lack of provision in canon law for cases of incapacity. In early 2006, the Cypriot bishops asked the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople to convoke a Panorthodox Synod to decide what was to be done since his condition was irreversible and he was still in a coma.

A Pan-Orthodox Synod was convoked by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople in Chambésy (Switzerland) in May 2006 and it was decided that Chrysostomos was to be removed from office due to serious health problems, while retaining his honorific titles. Bishop of Paphos Chrysostomos was elected as locum tenens and Archiepiscopal elections were proclaimed for 24 September 2006. Chrysostomos II became the new Archbishop of Cyprus.

Chrysostomos I died on 22 December 2007.[5]

See also

References
  1. Corley, Felix (5 January 2008). "Archbishop Chrysostomos I: Leading cleric in Cyprus". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  2. Han, Enze; O'Mahoney, Joseph (2018). British Colonialism and the Criminalization of Homosexuality: Queens, Crime and Empire. Routledge. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-351-25618-6.
  3. Archbishop back home Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine - Cyprus Mail archive article - 22 September 2002
  4. Brain surgery for Archbishop? Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine - Cyprus Mail archive article - 19 June 2003
  5. Cyprus Archbishop Chrysostomos I has died Archived 27 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine famagusta-gazette.com, 22 December 2007
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