Abbot expelled from monastery in north

A GREEK- Cypriot spokesman condemned the expulsion of an Abbot from a monastery in the north yesterday.

Government Spokesman Vasilis Palmas denounced the expulsion of an Abbot by Turkish- Cypriot police during yesterday’s church service. The monastery carries the name of Apostle Varnavas who is the founder of the autocephalous Church of Cyprus.
“Unfortunately this is not the first time that such phenomena take place. Needless to say that we condemn such behaviour which does not contribute to the creation of a positive climate between the two communities,” Palmas criticized. He added that such events create tension and raise suspicion, sentiments that do not at all help the effort to build a positive climate with regard to the Cyprus problem.

The Monastery of Apostle Varnavas is situated outside Famagusta on the north side of the island.

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.