Archbishop Georgios should have recused himself in the case of ousted bishop of Paphos Tychikos, the latter’s supporters said on Tuesday.

The initiative group in favour of Tychikos said the archbishop, as head of the Holy Synod and thus supreme judge in the case, could not be impartial.

The archbishop should have asked to recuse himself from the position of president of the court and judge, the group said.

“There was no guarantee of impartiality, since he had repeatedly expressed himself publicly and privately in a negative, insulting, disparaging and certainly extremely biased manner against our accused cleric.

“He has already condemned the former bishop of Paphos before the trial, disregarding the presumption of innocence of modern legal culture,” the group added.

Last month, the Holy Synod had voted to ratify Tychikos’ removal from his official position after he was charged with various breaches of church protocol, including the veneration of an icon depicting a saint not recognised by the church.

“The Holy Synod decided that the aforementioned hierarchy shall remain a bishop of the Church of Cyprus and a member of the Holy Synod,” understood to mean he may retain the title, but has been relieved of his administrative duties.

Procedures for electing a new bishop of Paphos have yet to begin, with Georgios serving as acting administrator of the bishopric.

Georgios and Tychikos had previously clashed, particularly over Tychikos’ refusal to allow the relic of Apostle Paul’s skull to be brought from the Vatican to Cyprus on the grounds that the pope is a ‘heretic’. The archbishop had issued repeated warnings to Tychikos about his conduct.

Six bishops – out of twelve members plus the archbishop – supported Tychikos, including Morphou Bishop Neophytos and Arsinoe Bishop Pangratios, along with the Limassol bishops’ group, which is made up of four clerics.