He came "in fact for the first time to Cyprus" to personally say goodbye to his beloved brother, co-minister and personal friend, said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in his farewell speech after the funeral service of blessed Archbishop Chrysostom II, which he presided over.
After he had given his last admonitions and counsels, after he had given a priestly blessing and paternal blessing to his associates, his flock, the people and the rulers of his long-suffering island, he peacefully surrendered his spirit to the leader of life and bishop of your souls, Lord Jesus Christ, and "was added to his glorious predecessors", he noted.
Cyprus today "tearing boa", he reported saying that "darkness covered the archbishop's throne" with his loss. The Ecumenical Patriarch characterized the deceased as a “brave soldier of the church, a great and official ram of the pastoral”, a prudent and sober operator of church and inter-church matters, the steadfast guardian of the fatherland, the loving father of all, the eloquent, merciful and philanthropist, « ?indeed blessed Chrysostom».
He multiplied "the talent and appeared faithful, sufficient and creative" in every level of priesthood and as abbot of the Holy Monastery of Neophytos and as Metropolitan of Paphos and the Archbishop of Nea Justiniana and of All Cyprus, he added, "and shone the priestly beauty" and the amazing pastoral mission that God gave him with personal virtue, with godly struggle, with historical steps and very remarkable achievements”.
Rexikeleuthos largely restored the normal, administrative structure of the Church of Cyprus by reconstituting the Byzantine provinces after 8 whole centuries, when they had been abolished during the Frankish rule, as he noted, which he named. He also noted the establishment of the Theological School which was a vision of generations and the Archbishop did "after many efforts and sacrifices" and called it a precious diamond. He also referred to the Philokalia NGO that the blessed Archbishop had recommended, “a great example of his love for the disadvantaged, the youth, the religious, cultural and historical heritage of Cyprus”. He also underlined the restoration of the salary of the clergy of Cyprus during the time of Archbishop Chrysostomos B.
The Ecumenical Patriarch spoke of "known tragic events" that opened the way to "unprecedented sacrileges" the second half of the 20th century in monasteries and churches of the "Cyprus north", so that sacred vessels, historical icons, wall paintings and more ended up in various receivers and illegal auction houses around the world. "The blessed brother watched vigilantly" he said, and managed to locate enough, buy them and bring them to Cyprus.
As an ecumenical patriarch, he continued, he must underline the Archbishop's great love for the martyr church of Constantinople and his honorable and unceasing companionship with it "on the path of martyrdom and its testimony". At every step he was bravely close to us, declared the Ecumenical Patriarch with a trembling voice.
The Ecumenical Patriarch referred to visit of Archbishop Chrysostomos in 2010 "in the septon center you defied any difficulty".
During his official peaceful visit, through the archbishop to the historical monastery of Zoodochos Pigis Valouklis, they had, said the Patriarch, the opportunity to "underline together in the most official way the sacred, profound and unbreakable ties that connect the two churches" .
During the final preparation phase of the Synod of Orthodoxy and during its work, he noted, the presence and contribution of the Archbishop was valuable and in some cases decisive. There he showed the dimensions of his love for the church, his genuine fatherly attitude and his honest devotion to the Synodical institution, he emphasized. "He was also an ardent supporter of the positions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at a time of uproar and obstruction. Something for which we are sincerely grateful to him», he said.
Continuing, Patriarch Bartholomew said that the Archbishop's last visit to the city of Constantine in 2020 and our liturgy on Orthodoxy Sunday will remain indelibly in our memory. We then admired his pastoral sensitivity, the wisdom, dynamism and courage with which he ministers to the people of God entrusted to him from above. his keen sense of the signs of the times and we called him the restless guardian of the basket of common heritage of orthodoxy. The Archbishop gave us many reasons to glorify the name of God because he gave this great ecclesiastical man to his people”. to him as equally to the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus which approved his relevant warm proposal and we were philanthropically granted the beautiful building in Brussels» delegation of Cyprus.
Your name will always remain in the deltas of memory, he also said.
PtD: Cyprus was lucky to find an indefatigable Hierarch
LIVE: Cyprus bid farewell to Archbishop Chrysostomos II
Source: KYPE
