Pope gets a Cyprus stamp, website and special flight

CYPRUS is getting into the spirit of the Pope’s upcoming visit, for starters issuing a stamp to mark the Pontiff’s trip to the island beginning on June 4.
The postal Services have announced the issue of a special 51-cent stamp, depicting Pope Benedict in and featuring the pillar of St. Paul in Paphos, Benedict’s first stop when he visits the island. The special stamp will be issued on June 4 in sheets of six stamps with First Day Covers costing 85 cents each.
Cyprus Airways (CY) announced yesterday it would have the honour of taking the Pope and his delegation, and media back to the Vatican on a special flight CY7316 on June 6, the day Benedict departs. The Pontiff will fly in with Italian carrier Alitalia.
“We are making all the necessary arrangements in order to offer the Pope and his delegation all the comfort, hospitality and quality he needs to accomplish his mission,” the airline said in a statement.
Meanwhile a group of Cypriot IT professionals has launched a website to inform the public about the Papal visit.
The Cyprus Computer Society (CCS) said yesterday: “Having recognised the importance of this visit to our island, the CCS has sponsored the creation and maintenance of this site.”
The group added: “In the current era of digital development and technology, it is necessary to create a website to update and educate the public and all concerned about the pope’s visit.” The site has been up and running since February 2010, and includes information about Cyprus, a biography of the Pope, a detailed itinerary and information about the purpose of the visit. The CSS was founded in 1984 and until today has 1,100 members, professionals and experts in the IT sector in Cyprus.
The website address is www.papalvisit.org.cy

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.