Orthodoxy and Modernity in Cyprus: The 2006 Archepiscopal Elections in Historical Perspective

This article offers an analysis of the 2006 Archepiscopal elections of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus (OCC). It uses this analysis to develop an interpretation of the OCC's evolution over the last two centuries. Unlike other Orthodox churches, it is the laity and the clergy—through a system of p...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of contemporary religion
Main Author: Roudometof, Victor 1964- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Carfax Publ. [2009]
In: Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2009, Volume: 24, Issue: 2, Pages: 189-204
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:This article offers an analysis of the 2006 Archepiscopal elections of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus (OCC). It uses this analysis to develop an interpretation of the OCC's evolution over the last two centuries. Unlike other Orthodox churches, it is the laity and the clergy—through a system of proxy voting—that elect the OCC's high clergy. In the 2006 elections, the first contested elections since 1950, the contenders and the public divided into mainstream modernizers and traditionalists. The election of Chrysostomos II signifies continuation with the OCC's conventional interventionist role in the island's social, economic, and political life. The election also led to the creation of additional eparchies, which suggests the normalization of the OCC's organizational structures. These developments point to a conventional pattern of coexistence between Orthodox religious institutions and modernization. Therefore, the Cyprus case casts doubt on scholarly arguments advocating Eastern Orthodox Christianity's exceptionalism vis-à-vis Western Christianity.
ISSN:1469-9419
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13537900902816665