The third annual memorial of the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II was held on Friday at the Saint Barnabas Cathedral, a church envisioned and built by the late archbishop himself.

The memorial service was officiated by Archbishop Georgios III, accompanied by Archbishop Seraphim of Zimbabwe, metropolitans Kyrillos of Krini and Timotheos of Bostra, and bishops Christoforos of Karpasia, Porphyrios of Neapolis and Gregory of Mesaoria.

They were joined by the abbot of the Saint Barnabas monastery, archimandrite Ioannis, and the secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus archimandrite Georgios. Many clergy and community members attended to honour the archbishop’s memory.

Archbishop Georgios, a close collaborator of the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II, honoured his predecessor’s legacy following the memorial service, by highlighting three key achievements that shaped the Church of Cyprus:

The restoration of the Holy Synod, which allowed the Church to govern itself independently for the first time in centuries; the establishment of the theological school, creating a centre for theological education and discussion; and the building of the impressive Saint Barnabas cathedral, filling a significant need in the archdiocese.

archbishop, church, orthodox, orthodoxy, Georgios, Chrysostomos
Archbishop Georgios, a close collaborator of the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II, honoured his predecessor’s legacy (Photo: Christos Theodorides)

Archbishop Georgios then performed a trisagion – a brief memorial service – at Chrysostomos II’s grave, praying for his eternal rest.

“The late Archbishop Chrysostomos II was a man of deep faith and strong action; a man who served the Church with self-sacrifice, courageously defended his flock, and loved Cyprus with all the strength of his soul,” the archbishop said.

“The memory of the late Chrysostomos II is not a memory of the past,” he added, “it is a living presence, it is a voice calling us to continue the work of faith, unity, truth and love for our homeland.”