In December 2019, the primate of the Church of Cyprus reiterated that his church had taken a neutral stance despite the actions of some of its hierarchs. He added that the Patriarchate of Moscow had asked him for his support; he replied that he disagreed with the decisions of the Moscow Patriarch to cease commemorating some other primates (the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Archbishop of Athens, and the Patriarch of Alexandria). He added: "[The Patriarch of Moscow] is going to create a schism. And the schism is the greatest sin. I do not understand it. He wants to be the first. I told him you would never be the first. Over the past 17 centuries, the Patriarch of Constantinople has been established as first among all Eastern Orthodox primates. Full stop."
