Metropolitan George of Paphos was elected the new primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church.
According to Cyprus Mail, his candidacy was supported by 11 members of the Holy Synod of the OOC, and the competitor, Metropolitan Athanasius of Limassol, received four votes, one bishop refused to vote. According to the results of voting among the Orthodox citizens of Cyprus, Athanasius won (35.68%), and George scored 18.39% and became the second. Nikos Anastasiadis, President of Cyprus, congratulated Archbishop George on Twitter:
“I am confident that under the enlightened leadership of the new archbishop the Church of Cyprus will continue its great spiritual work.”
Archbishop George was born in 1949 in Cyprus, in the village of Atienou near the city of Larnaca. He graduated from the Pancyprian Gymnasium, which was founded in 1812 by Archbishop Cyprian. He studied chemistry and then theology at the University of Athens and continued his education in England.
After returning to Cyprus, George was ordained a deacon, then archimandrite and bishop, served as secretary of the Holy Synod, and also worked as a school chemistry teacher.
Giorgi came to prominence after he was arrested and ill-treated by Turkish troops during a demonstration against the occupation of Cyprus in 1989. The Council of Europe sided with the archimandrite after he filed a complaint against Turkey with the CE Human Rights Committee.
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