Rebel bishops defrocked

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33278, 16 July 1973, Page 17

Rebel bishops defrocked

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) NICOSIA, July 14. Three rebel Cypriot bishops who tried to unseat President Makarios as head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church were themselves defrocked yesterday by a synod of 16 Middle East Orthodox prelates called in Nicosia by Archbishop Makarios.

The synod ruled that the attempt to remove the Archbishop as head of the Church because he insisted on retaining the Presidency of the island was unjustified and baseless. The three bishops declared him deposed as head of the Church in April, claiming that his holding of a secular office clashed with his Church duties.

Archbishop Makarios has already called an election to replace one of the three bishops, Bishop Yennadios of Paphos, aged 83, and a new bishop will be named on July 22.

But it is not yet known how Archbishop Makarios will deal with Bishops Anthimos of Kitium and Kyprianos of Kyrenia, who are being guarded by armed supporters of the former Eoka leader, General George Grivas, in Limasol, in the south-west of the island. President Makarios, who rejected the bishop’s right to strip him of his Church titles, has said that their attempt was made at the instigation of General Grivas, who is campaigning against him and for Enosis (Union with Greece).