Bishops bicker over Cyprus settlement

WHAT STARTED as a spat between the Church and the State yesterday descended into strife within the Church itself.

Kiti Bishop Chrysostomos yesterday called on everyone to unite in the common struggle for liberation of the island.

Replying to a statement by Kyrenia Bishop Pavlos, also signed by the Archbishop, the Bishop of Kiti urged everyone to tone down the rhetoric, and unite to fight for the sacred cause of the liberation of the occupied areas, the expulsion of Turkish troops and settlers, and the return of all refugees.

Bishop Pavlos on Tuesday night issued a statement saying a federal solution to the Cyprus problem would lead to the de-Hellenisation of a large part of the island.

He was reacting to earlier statements by Bishop Chrysostomos, who more or less agreed with the federation model as a future settlement of the Cyprus issue. The federal model is backed by the island’s political leadership and by UN resolutions.

Morphou Bishop Neophytos joined the fray in an effort to settle the issue and stop the public bickering between the Bishops.

He urged all parties to stop arguing and asked the Archbishop and the Bishop of Kyrenia to respect the Holy Synod’s statement concerning the proposed federal solution.

The Holy Synod last week said it would not support any solution to the Cyprus issue that will not guarantee the human rights of all Cypriots and the return of all the refugees to their homes.

"Statements and counter-statements over our national issue are unnecessary, especially after the Synod already issued a statement," Neophytos said.

"If we continue this dispute we will end up lacking credibility among our people," he warned.

"I urge my brothers to calm down and respect the Holy Synod," he added.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.