Bishop prevented from leading Apostolas Andreas celebrations

TURKISH Cypriot police yesterday prevented the Bishop of Karpasia, Christoforos, from leading the church service at Apostolos Andreas yesterday.
Christoforos was due to lead the annual service to mark the saint’s feast day, but after the intervention of the Turkish Cypriot police the celebrations were instead led by the priest attached to the monastery.
Bishop Christoforos was allowed into the church to be present at the service and was permitted to perform a blessing at the end.
There was a heavy police presence in the area around the monastery and also directly outside it.  According to state broadcasters, plain clothes ‘TRNC’ police were also present inside the church itself during the service, filming the attendees and the church service.
The services began at around 9:30am at the historic monastery located on the tip of the Karpas peninsula where the Apostle Andrew was said to have first set foot on the island.
The service was attended by Peter Millett, the British High Commissioner to Cyprus, and about 2,000 worshippers. 
It is estimated that the name Andreas, along with the other similar names celebrated on this saint’s day, is the most common in Cyprus with more than 40,000 people celebrating their name day on November 30.
On Sunday thousands of people, at least fifty buses and hundreds of private cars created a dense throng around the historical monastery to attend the festivities being held that day and into the night. 
From all over Cyprus people descended on the monastery bearing the large candles taken to such events and votive offerings.  The celebrations were led by Father Zacharia Georgiou on Sunday and included vespers into the late evening.

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