GREEK Archbishop Christodoulos yesterday called his visit to Cyprus a “long overdue pilgrimage to the island of saints and martyrs.”
Christodoulos, whose full title is Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, is the first head of the Greek Church to visit the island in 40 years.
On his second of a seven-day stay, Christodoulos was welcomed at the Archbishopric by his Cypriot counterpart Archbishop Chrysostomos II, after which the two top clerics presided over a liturgy at the Ayios Ioannis cathedral.
Chrysostomos said the visit was “a moral boost in these difficult times”.
Later in the day, Christodoulos met with President Papadopoulos.
The two discussed latest developments in the Cyprus problem and, according to media reports, the Annan plan of 2004 and the reasons for its rejection by Greek Cypriots.
The prelate’s itinerary also included a news conference kickstarting Radiomarathon Week for the Missing Persons.
There he announced that the Church of Greece would be donating 20,000 euros to a special fund for the benefit of the families of those missing since 1974.
Christodoulos said that resolving the fate of missing persons was a “top personal priority”.
During his stay, the Greek archbishop will be touring the island’s bishoprics and historical monuments.
No stranger to controversy, Christodoulos has gained notoriety for his scathing criticism of the United States, Turkey and Israel, causing embarrassment to the Greek government on more than one occasion.
Born Christos Paraskevaides in 1939, he has been the youngest archbishop to head the Greek Church. He was also the first cleric to be democratically elected to the post by the Holy Synod in 1998.
Since his elevation, he has attracted a significant amount of controversy, culminating in a major corruption scandal in 2005.
Christodoulos has supported views on Greek politics and culture, that have been criticised as highly conservative and nationalist. He led protests in 2002 against Greece’s version of the television programme Big Brother, urging followers to “pray for the young kids” on the shows and to “turn off our [television] sets.”
The archbishop played a leading role in stoking public opposition to NATO and the Kosovo war of 1999 in which Greece, as a NATO member, played a significant, though largely non-interventionist role.
On the NATO bombings of Serbia in 2000, Christodoulos famously accused then US President Bill Clinton of having “blood on his hands”.
He also spoke out strongly against the European Union and the intention of the Greek administration under Costas Simitis to follow EU directives even where they clashed with what he regarded as traditional Greek policies.
In 2000, a major clash between Church and State erupted when the Greek government sought to follow a decision of the Greek Data Protection Authority, by removing the “Religion” field from the national ID cards carried by Greek citizens. Christodoulos opposed the decision, claiming that it was part of a wider plan to marginalise the Church from Greek public life; he also stated that the decision was “put forward by neo-intellectuals who want to attack us like rabid dogs and tear at our flesh.”
In 2001, Christodoulos prompted international criticism after claiming that the ID decision had been instigated by Jews.
