‘Is this how one shows respect for a deceased woman who has left her property to the church?’
A WOMAN, who has flown to Cyprus from the UK to sort out the estate of her dead aunt, has reportedly faced threats and cruelty at the hands of a Limassol local church committee, which is a beneficiary of the deceased.
In light of her treatment, English Cypriot Alexandra Constandinou has decided to contest her aunt’s will rather than leave the estate to the church committee, who she says went back on their promise to use the house for welfare purposes and instead intends to use it for receptions and celebrations.
The unusual story takes place in the Kapsalos area of Limassol, between the Triherousa Church Committee and Alexandra Constandinou who came to Cyprus for a week to clear out her aunt’s belongings from the house she had left to the local church.
Respecting her aunt’s wish to leave her house on Georgios Papandreou street to the church, Constandinou made an agreement with the local church committee to stay in the house for a week to sort out her aunt’s personal belongings, which she said have a sentimental value to her.
According to Constandinou, the church committee agreed to let her stay in the house while clearing out her aunt’s things, but when she arrived to Cyprus, the committee threatened to throw her aunt’s belongings in the streets, told her she could not stay in the house unless she paid rent and called the police to arrest her.
“We are her only blood relatives, so it was our duty to come and sort out her personal belongings. They agreed to let us stay in my aunt’s house, but they changed their minds when we arrived.
“[The committee] sent the police to arrest us, and threatened to throw my aunt’s things in the streets. Is that how they show respect for a deceased woman who has left her property to the church?” asked Alexandra Constandinou.
Talking to the Sunday Mail, Triherousa’s priest Father Apostolos, said that the church acted on the advice of its lawyers and that they honoured their agreement to let Costandinou stay in the house for a week, but no more.
“The owner of the house died last November. Since then six months have passed by and no one came to collect her things. The committee told them they could stay there this week, but that no more time would be granted to them,” the priest said.
Coming from a working class background, Costandinou said she could not afford to stay at a hotel, neither can she place her aunt’s belongings in storage.
“We live in Council estates in London but we did not challenge our aunt’s decision to leave the house to the church.
“We did ask them to use it for charity, to help the poor, but they said they will use the house as an additional room for events and celebrations, and that they don’t care about the poor. It’s appalling,” she said.
“When the lady was alive, no one would come to see her. It is after she died that all these relatives remembered her. Unfortunately, this is how it goes. The lawyer even told us that these people may not even be real relatives,” Father Apostolos said.
After coming to Cyprus and seeing the situation, Costandinou decided to challenge whether the church should inherit her aunt’s house.
“The church had been manipulating my aunt, who was ill, fragile and in a weak mental state for her own personal reasons. She was not in her right mind when she left it to them; they influenced her heavily and took advantage of the guilt she felt for past deeds,” she said.
“I can assure you that the lady was in excellent mental condition, right until the day she had the stroke. Her psychological state was fine as well.
“I feel sorry for the claims these people are making, and they say they are not wealthy, yet it seems they will have to pay a fortune in legal fees,” he said.
