The head relic of St. Paul the Apostle will be brought from the Vatican to Cyprus for the first time in October 2026, marking what church leaders describe as a landmark event for Christians worldwide.

According to *Philenews*, the relic will be taken to the city of Paphos during the visit of Archbishop Georgios, primate of the Church of Cyprus, to Rome. The relic is expected to be venerated by the faithful during its temporary stay on the island.

Plans to bring the relic to Cyprus were originally agreed upon during the tenure of the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II. However, the initiative was delayed because of opposition from former Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos.

The metropolitan refused to receive the relic because its transfer was being arranged by the Vatican and objected to contacts with the Roman Catholic Church, publicly referring to the Pope as a heretic. His stance led to a public disagreement with Archbishop Georgios.

At the time, Archbishop Georgios emphasized that the event was not about a papal visit but about bringing one of Christianity's most revered relics to the city where, according to Christian tradition, the Apostle Paul first preached on Cyprus. "Even if the Pope were to come, would we not welcome him?" the archbishop said.

Archbishop Georgios said that Pope Francis agreed to lend the relic as a gesture of personal friendship and in recognition of Paphos' historical importance as the site of St. Paul's first missionary work on the island.

According to *Philenews*, the relic of St. Paul's head has never previously left the Vatican. Archbishop Georgios described its transfer to Cyprus as an event of global significance for the Christian world.

The New Testament's *Acts of the Apostles* (Chapter 13) records that Paul and Barnabas preached in Paphos during their missionary journey to Cyprus. It was there, according to Christian tradition, that the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus converted to Christianity, becoming the first Roman governor to embrace the faith.

For the Roman Catholic Church, the head of St. Paul is among the most treasured relics in Rome. It is preserved in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, housed in one of two gilded reliquaries above the high altar alongside the head of St. Peter. Church tradition holds that the relics were transferred to the Lateran after the martyrdom of the two apostles, while historians have documented their presence there since at least the ninth century. In the 14th century, ornate silver bust reliquaries were created to house the relics, and they remain above the papal altar today.

The body, or the greater part of the remains traditionally attributed to St. Paul, is venerated at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built over the apostle's tomb. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI announced the results of archaeological examinations of the sarcophagus, which uncovered bone fragments dating to the first or second century, remnants of luxurious fabric woven with gold thread, and traces of incense. Radiocarbon analysis indicated that the bones date to the period in which St. Paul is believed to have lived.