Pope meets Cyprus' Orthodox leader to strengthen ties

NICOSIA – Pope Francis met Friday with the person of Cyprus’ Greek Orthodox Church with the purpose of further mending an ideological and governmental rift betwixt the Catholic West and the Orthodox East that dates backmost astir a millennium.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II greeted Francis and the 2 went down closed doors connected the 2nd time of the pope’s three-day Cyprus trip. They are aboriginal joining the Holy Synod, the highest decision-making assemblage of the Greek Orthodox Church. Francis is scheduled to preside implicit an ecumenical supplication work with migrants aboriginal successful the day.

Although Cyprus comprises a tiny portion of the Eastern Orthodox assemblage with astir 800,000 faithful, Cypriot religion leaders constituent to the Mediterranean island’s relation arsenic the “gateway” to Christianity’s westward enlargement owing to its proximity to the faith’s birthplace.

Christianity archetypal dispersed to Cyprus successful 45 A.D., erstwhile the Apostle Paul converted the island’s Roman governor, Sergius Paulus, portion connected the archetypal halt of his archetypal ngo to dispersed the faith. The Cypriot Church was itself said to person been founded by different apostle, Barnabas.

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Francis has made Cyprus’ transportation to the roots of Christianity a focal constituent of his visit. Cypriot Church leaders are keen to fortify ties with the Holy See since number Christian communities successful adjacent countries fearfulness that their religion is nether onslaught amid equipped conflicts.

Cyprus itself carries the scars of war. The federation divided on taste lines successful 1974 erstwhile Turkey invaded pursuing a coup aimed astatine uniting the land with Greece. After the taste split, 170,000 Christians fled the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, wherever churches, monasteries and different Christian monuments person been destroyed.

Tens of thousands of Muslim Turkish Cypriots fled northward pursuing the extremity of hostilities.

The demolition of Christian places of worship is among the cardinal issues that Archbishop Chrysostomos is expected to rise with Francis successful hopes that the pontiff’s governmental musculus volition assistance reignite stalled talks to reunify Cyprus.

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Upon his accomplishment connected Thursday, Francis urged Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to resume the talks, saying threats and shows of unit lone prolong the “terrible laceration” the island's radical person endured for astir a half-century.

“Let america nurture anticipation by the powerfulness of gestures, alternatively than by gestures of power,” Francis told Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and different authorities leaders astatine the statesmanlike palace, located successful the internally recognized, Greek Cypriot-led south.

Prospects for unifying the land person seldom been arsenic bleak arsenic they are now. Turkish Cypriots, nether their recently elected person Ersin Tatar, changed their prerequisites for bid and demanded designation of a abstracted authorities earlier immoderate woody tin adjacent beryllium discussed.

Previously some sides had agreed — with a United Nations Security Council endorsement — that immoderate woody would impact establishing a two-zone federation, with a Turkish Cypriot portion successful the north, a Greek Cypriot 1 successful the southbound and a azygous national authorities regulating halfway ministries, including defence and overseas affairs.

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Acknowledging the stall successful talks and the continuing suffering of Christians incapable to instrumentality to their erstwhile homes successful the bulk Muslim north, Francis encouraged an inaugural of the island’s Christian and Muslim religion leaders to beforehand reconciliation.

“Times that look slightest favorable, erstwhile dialog languishes, tin beryllium the precise times that hole for peace,” the pontiff said.

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