ARCHBISHOP Chrysostomos II yesterday clarified that when he called on President Demetris Christofias to pull out of direct talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, he didn’t really mean it.
But he added he still failed to see anything wrong with distributing leaflets in church, containing political content on the current talks.
Speaking after a meeting with DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades, Chrysostmos said he did not wish to put himself above the National Council or the government but was entitled as a citizen of the Republic to voice his opinions.
“What I said, which was misunderstood, is that every opportunity which arises to promote our national issue should not be missed because they don’t appear very often. And when I said the talks should end, I did not mean that. Nor do I wish to carry water to the mill of the Turkish side,” he said
“It’s not my aim nor do I wish to put myself above the government or political parties. What I always say is the opinion of the church and my opinion as a citizen, which every citizen is entitled to do, as am I,” he added.
The primate clarified that when he said the Greek Cypriot leadership should pull out of the talks after the Turkish Cypriot side tabled its proposals before the first round of intensive talks, what he meant was that various party officials should have been sent to speak to their European counterparts to promote the positions of the Greek Cypriot side.
“It’s one thing for someone to go personally and talk to them, and another to send a letter. A letter is also good, but you get a few steps ahead when people go to see the leaders of Europe,” he said.
For his part, Anastassiades said the two had a very important meeting, where they exchanged views on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem. “There appears to be a convergence of opinion regarding our concerns on the future of Cypriot Hellenism,” he said.
The DISY leader added that there were also issues where the two had different approaches but that both agreed on the need for unity among the political and church leadership “to lead Cyprus in the right direction”.
Last week, Anastassiades was one of the more vocal critics of the Church’s apparent effort to involve itself in politics, with the distribution of political propaganda in churches two Sundays ago. Churchgoers were handed leaflets calling on them to say ‘No’ to the rotating presidency and to the weighted voting, two federal elements currently being discussed in the direct talks. The leaflets warned, among other things, of the ultimate danger of having a mainland Turk elected to the Presidency of the Federal Republic. The archbishop had approved the leaflets before their distribution, though he later said he did not agree with all the wording used.
Chrysostomos yesterday said he listened very carefully to the views of the DISY leader. “I can say that I agree with what has been said. He has heard my philosophy and we agreed to have closer co-operation,” he said.
Asked whether the Church will continue to distribute flyers in churches, he replied: “I explained to Mr Anastassiades that nobody has disputed the content of the leaflets. If those who got the leaflets or books disagreed with them, they would have thrown them away or returned them. Since that didn’t happen, I don’t believe I am dividing the Cypriot people.
“But it does no harm for every step to be well thought out. I can’t tell you now whether it will continue or not. It is not the time,” the church leader added.
