Synod delivers modest Easter message

By Stefanos Evripidou

THE HOLY Synod of the Church of Cyprus issued the church’s annual Easter message this year, a job usually undertaken by ailing Archbishop Chrysostomos, who is widely reported to be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

In a somewhat toned down Easter message, the Holy Synod wished a Happy Easter to all, giving a special mention to the continuing occupation of the north by Turkish troops.

“For 29 years we have celebrated Easter in unfavourable conditions. Turkish troops continue to occupy our homeland and keep thousands of our compatriots away from their ancestral homes. The occupiers continue to limit further the basic rights of our enclaved brothers while refusing to give information on the fate of our beloved missing persons.”

The message is usually read out by the Archbishop himself and has often taken a more invective approach. In past Easter messages, Archbishop Chrysostomos had called for an unrelenting fight for the liberation of the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island and described the pursuit as an obligation to ancestors and coming generations.

Since he went to an Athens clinic last September to recover from a fall, the Archbishop has taken a back seat in church affairs, with many clerics claiming he no longer has the ability to perform his duties. Church elections for the archbishop’s position are expected to take place after Easter.

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.