THE COMMUNISTS have urged Archbishop Chrysostomos II to behave more like a flock leader rather than a party chieftain, advising the Prelate to stop meddling in the 2008 election campaign.
The outspoken Chrysostomos has again captured the limelight after saying that he “identifies” with the policies of DIKO and President Tassos Papadopoulos. He has also come under fire for trying to influence a TV channel into adopting a pro-Papadopoulos stance, an allegation he has not denied.
Stefanos Stefanou, member of AKEL’s Central Committee and campaign staffer for presidential candidate Demetris Christofias, was yesterday particularly scathing of the Archbishop.
“With his recent comments, the Archbishop has demoted himself from flock leader to party chieftain,” remarked Stefanou.
“We would like to express our dissatisfaction because the Archbishop has entered the election campaign fray even before it has begun. No one denies the right of the Church to air its opinions or even choose and support a certain [presidential] candidate. What we object to is the exploitation and, yes, the abuse of the institution of the Church in delivering sermons which favour one or the other candidate, directly or indirectly.”
The AKEL cadre further accused Chrysostomos of acting like a despot.
“When the Archbishop was asked, recently, whether he was expressing his personal views or those of the Church, he said ‘I am the Church’. This is very strange, considering that the issue [the elections] has yet to be debated inside the Church.”
And DISY spokesman Harris Georgiades hinted Chrysostomos was trying to hijack the election for the incumbent Papadopoulos.
“These interventions of his happen on a daily basis, and I wouldn’t rule out that very soon we shall have more of this. Thankfully, the President of the Republic is not elected in the same way as the Archbishop is,” said Georgiades, in a dig at how Chrysostomos managed to be elected Prelate despite having the backing of less than 10 per cent of the electorate.
“We are still a secular Republic,” noted Georgiades. “I think that the term ‘flock’ has been misunderstood. Citizens are not sheep that can be herded into one or the other direction. These sort of approaches are entirely wrong, and will have the opposite to the desired effect.”
For his part, DIKO general secretary Kyriacos Kenevezos insisted the Archbishop had the right to speak his mind on politics and on “the national issue”.
“I don’t believe he has crossed the line. The Archbishop respects all candidates and all political parties equally.”
Alluding to Chrysostomos’ detractors, Kenevezos wondered why “we did not have a similar reaction when the parties got involved in the Church elections, even setting up tables outside polling stations?
“In Cyprus, the nation, the Church and the national problem are intertwined,” claimed Kenevezos.
And socialist boss Yiannakis Omirou said it was “natural” for the head of the Church to express himself.
“This should not be considered meddling, even if a certain statement were to favour one candidate or the other. I think the Archbishop’s words have been twisted.”
