ARCHBISHOP Chrysostomos II sees eye to eye with a nationalist group on many issues, pays lip service to ongoing reunification talks though he believes they are doomed, and claims that former President Tassos Papadopoulos did not bother to read the whole 2003 UN peace plan.
Those were some of the highlights of the Archbishop’s interview with online publication Kathimerini published over the weekend. In it, the Prelate was taken to task over his perceived political meddling and hardline views on the Cyprus problem.
But perhaps the most eye-catching part of the interview was his assertion that he identifies a great deal with the views of the nationalist outfit ELAM (National People’s Front).
“I find that many of ELAM’s views express me. And if they are against illegal immigrants, I dare to say that I, too, am against illegal immigrants. We cannot have all kinds of seeds here,” Chrysostomos said candidly.
It was not clear whether the Prelate had done his homework on the nationalist group, which advocates a ‘Greek Cyprus’ – a racially homogeneous nation, and wants all illegal aliens to be summarily deported.
The interviewer interjected, reminding Chrystostomos of ELAM’s motto: “Every foreigner equals one unemployed Greek.” The journalist observed that the group were apparently opposed to legally as well as illegally residing foreigners.
Chrysostomos defended ELAM, noting: “I don’t think that is the case. On the occasions that I had contact with these fellows, they struck me as educated guys, they care about their country and their views are crystal-clear.”
But in the same breath, Chrysostomos dismissed allegations that the premises housing the ELAM offices in Nicosia belong to the Church, which is said to be leasing the property free of charge.
“This is a malicious lie, we do not host ELAM on Church property,” he remarked.
The Prelate was next challenged that his rhetoric on political matters is often incendiary, and that he tends to divide people into patriots and traitors, for example by adopting Tassos Papadopoulos’ claim that some people were paid off to support the Annan Plan in 2003.
“Some truths, no matter how bitter, need to be said. I don’t think the Annan Plan would have solved our national problem, rather it would have dismantled the Republic,” he said.
He was then reminded that he himself had once said that the people never actually read the peace blueprint – in order to form an informed opinion – and that the public had been swayed by then President Papadopoulos into rejecting the plan.
“Of course the people didn’t read it [the Annan Plan]. No one did. No one knows it. The Annan Plan was 10,000 pages long,” said Chrysostomos.
“Then how was it rejected?” the journalist asked.
“We read about 500 pages. Not even the President knew the plan inside out, and he admitted as much to me. Nobody knew it.”
Regarding the pamphlets that were distributed in churches by the Archbishopric slamming aspects of the peace talks – such as the proposal for a weighted vote for Turkish Cypriots – and calling on Greek Cypriots to reject such a peace plan, Chrysostomos insisted this was not political influence, but rather an exercise in “informing the public.”
“The Church’s rhetoric is national in scope. It is not politics. We wanted to give people some food for thought. You were not forced to take the pamphlet if you did not agree.”
Chrysostomos insisted also that the Church did not meddle in politics, despite being reminded that in the last presidential elections he had publicly backed Papadopoulos, and when the latter was defeated in the first round, he switched to Ioannis Kasoulides for the runoff.
The Prelate was also asked about his seemingly incoherent views – on the one hand opposing a federation-based solution because it is unworkable, and on the other accepting the peace talks.
“In our bid to reach a solution, so that the people of Cyprus can return to normalcy and live happily in the land of their fathers, we have agreed to the talks, to find a settlement, even if a federal one, though there does not seem to be solution on the horizon,” said Chrysostomos.
“But led us not kid ourselves. Today, it is not a federation that we are discussing, but rather a confederation, or something far worse,” he added.
Chrysostomos was repeatedly pressed to resolve another contradiction in his statements, namely that he supports the talks despite the fact he believes the Turkish side cannot be trusted to implement any agreement.
The Prelate also denied accusations that he was meddling in the state’s education policy, for example when he urged pupils at public schools to toss out the new, revised history books which try to weed out the more nationalist content.
He said: “At any rate, I am certain that the students will not wait for the Church to tell them to throw out the books. They will do so on their own.”
