Unholy row over Engomi cemetery

ENGOMI municipality is caught up in a row with the Archbishopric over the latter’s alleged failure to transfer the title deed of a local cemetery.

The cemetery, which cost around £200,000 to build, was completed two years ago. The construction tab was picked up by the municipality, with the proviso that the land plot would be transferred to it. As a tradeoff, it was agreed that the municipality would mark other Church lands in the area as belonging to a building zone, meaning their price would shoot up.

But the business deal fell through when the Archbishopric apparently backtracked, transferring the cemetery’s title deed to a local Ayios Nicolaos church. Evidently considering that it is not bound by the previous agreement, Ayios Nicolaos now demands a 15 per cent cut on the sale of graves inside the cemetery.

The spat has been simmering for a while now, as construction of the cemetery was completed two years ago.

Municipal councillors and residents are reportedly up in arms over this turn of events, and have threatened to take over management of the cemetery, making it available for funeral services without the church’s approval.

However, sources said the municipal council was divided into factions, with some councillors openly or tacitly supporting the church’s demands.

A similar deal had been made with the Lakatamia municipality. But that was during the tenure of Archbishop Chrysostomos, whose position has become vacant after the Church leader was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

But according to press reports, the acting Church leader, Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos, promised the municipality that the agreements still stood. However, when the Holy Synod convened to discuss the matter, glitches came up and it was decided to postpone any final decision.

It is not clear whether the cemetery’s title deed was transferred on the watch of the ailing Archbishop or that of his interim successor.

Over the past couple of years, the Church has been rocked by a wave of financial scandals, ranging from allegations of mismanagement of property to embezzlement. Paphos Bishop Chrysostomos has vowed to crack down on these practices, which are believed to have flourished because of the Archbishop’s disability.

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