Archbishop Chrysostomos II: Cypriots are victims of the Turkish invasion

September 2014

“Cyprus, by its geographical position in the east of the Mediterranean, is the crossing-point of Europe, Asia and Africa. And its residents, peaceful and quiet people by nature, have over last forty years constantly fallen victim to the disorder brought here by the barbaric Turkish invasion. The situation is also aggravated by the occupation of 37% of the territory of Cyprus, a EU member country, by an army of 49,000 Turkish soldiers,” said Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus in his greeting speech at XXII International Conference, “Blessed are the peacemakers”, held in Bose, reports Romfea.

“The occupation of the northern part of the island has brought only misfortune and divisions—expatriation of the island’s legal citizens, worsening of the demographic situation, and the influx of hundreds of thousands immigrants from eastern parts of Turkey.

We also should not forget the banditry with plundering of churches and other cultural heritage objects of universal importance. We are praying for preservation of peace and fraternal relations among the peoples on Cyprus and everywhere in the world,” the archbishop added.

Emphasizing the subject of the conference, His Beatitude Archbishop of Cyprus said the following: “We wish to accentuate not only the theological contents of the words of the Holy Scripture: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Mathew 5, 9), but also the strongest desire of all of us that the true peace, that is, the peace given by God, should reign all over the world”.

“The source of peace is only God Himself,” added the hierarch.

“Both peace of spirit and repentance are necessary for peacemaking. These are two gifts of the Holy Spirit that are being neglected by the world community—either through ignorance or deliberately. And as everyone’s actions today are based on egoism, then hatred, disorders and extensive wars will prevail on among people in the future,” His Beatitude also added.

The head of the Church of Cyprus has offered up a prayer, that the God of peace and unity might grant each individual the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation. “Then we will be able to feel that we are peacemakers and blessed children of God,” concluded the primate.

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