CHURCH and State yesterday squared off in a furious row over the government’s handling of the Cyprus problem.
The sniping began on Tuesday night, when the Bishop of Paphos directly attacked the government’s handling of the Cyprus problem, bringing the smoldering hostilities between Archbishop Chrysostomos II and President Dimitris Christofias to a festering climax.
In a speech given as part of this year’s International Conference for Overseas Cypriots – the Bishop of Paphos Georgios, speaking on behalf of the Archbishop who was abroad visiting China, vehemently criticised the President for his proceedings concerning the new negotiations due to start next month.
The Bishop challenged the government’s proposals regarding the form of the state and the system of rotating presidency, asserted that the island’s problem was being degraded and, furthermore, rebuked the government’s decision to allow Turkish Cypriots to cross over to Kokkina on August 8.
“Simple common sense is evoking questions and anxiety,” observed the Bishop while reciting the Archbishop’s speech. “We are seeking convincing information and are requesting elucidations even for that which all politicians consider obvious: that the solution will come from the Cypriots and will be for the Cypriots.”
He claimed that the current handlings “degrade [the Cyprus problem] from an invasion problem to a bicommunal dispute,” and wondered whether “the acceptance of a rotating presidency conforms to the principles and values of the European Union.”
He further criticised the government for allowing Turkish Cypriots to cross over to Kokkina “to celebrate the murders of unarmed people”, and questioned whether it was necessary to pass it over in silence, adding that remaining silent does not aid the negotiations. The Turkish Cypriots were commemorating Turkish air strikes in 1964 that relieved the besieged enclave of Kokkina, about to be overrun by Greek Cypriot forces in heavy intercommunal fighting. A number of Greek Cypriot civilians were killed in the attacks.
The President returned fire soon enough, immediately retaliating before the same audience. He emphasised that the state “is not theocratic. It is a modern state which emerged from the Zurich-London agreements in 1960 and it is a partnership with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.” Christofias added that the Greek Cypriots needed to realise that if they continued to pursue patriotism “in the name of religion, in the name of our cultural heritage and our heroes then we will be completely destroyed”.
In a pointed jibe against the Archbishop, the President pointed out that he was elected President by 53 per cent of the people, not, like the Archbishop “by 8 per cent, not by 10 per cent, nor by 15 per cent”, before apologising for his tone. “I won’t accept lessons in patriotism,” he protested.
By morning, battle was resumed: “[The state] may not be not theocratic, but neither is it totalitarian,” responded the Bishop of Paphos yesterday. “Everyone is entitled to have an opinion and to express a different point of view.” He supported that Christofias’ outburst must have been a result of the President either misunderstanding the Archbishop’s intentions or having a lot on his mind that evening. “We are simply asking for elucidations,” explained the Bishop, who emphasised, “we never said that [the President] is acting erroneously.”
Yet, when a reporter asked him whether these statements weren’t actually strong accusations that the Greek Cypriot side was adopting Turkish positions, he replied “but aren’t we?” He observed that the Archbishop speaks for the entire Holy Synod, at least the majority of which share his view.
The Bishop admitted that the Archbishop “didn’t give [him] a written document” but that instead left him in charge with specific instructions on how to compose the speech.
Nicos Anastassiades, leader of opposition DISY, threw his weight behind Christofias, observing that there is a “responsible political authority” in power and, although the Church has every right to express its opinions, it must not do so “through quarreling”.
“I would like to remind everyone that the Cyprus problem, a predominantly political problem, is being handled by the President who is also the negotiator for the Greek Cypriot side,” stated Stefanos Stefanou, the Government Spokesman, yesterday. He reproached the Archbishop for giving “disuniting messages” at a time when it is imperative that “everyone remains calm, serious and focused on the goal at hand.”
Stephanou expressed his astonishment at the Archbishop’s statements, maintaining that only a little while ago, “the Archbishop himself had stated that he was perfectly satisfied” with the answers the President had given him regarding the Cyprus problem.
