Scandals dent Church popularity

THE ONGOING scandal in the Church of Cyprus has dented the popularity of Archbishop Chrysostomos, according to an opinion poll carried out on behalf of Politis.

The survey found that around 55 per cent of those asked did not agree with the way he was handling Church matters.

Around 36.2 per cent of the sample said they approved of the way the Archbishop handled things, while 9.2 per cent did not answer.

The majority of those who backed the Archbishop were aged 65 and over.

The majority of those asked – 71.4 per cent — agreed that a retirement age should be set for the clergy, who currently hold their positions for life.

Despite all the trouble in the Church however, 91.6 per cent of the sample believe religion is of utmost value, while 2.4 per cent thought it was of little value.

Seventeen per cent of the faithful – up 10 per cent from a similar survey last year — said they felt distant from the Church.

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.