Church to mark EU Presidency with various events
10/6/2012
THE CHURCH of Cyprus believes that the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the EU by Cyprus in July is an opportunity for the country to present itself to its European partners and make them aware of the Christian Orthodox tradition in the EU, head of the Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the European Union, Bishop of Neapolis Porphyrios has stressed.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, the Bishop said the Church firmly supports the Cypriot EU presidency and is preparing a series of events partly in cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus that will be held during the six-monthly rotating EU Presidency.
A significant number of Orthodox icons will be displayed at the exhibition on Cyprus, that will begin on June 21, at the Bozar museum in Brussels, he said.
On July 1, the day the presidency begins, the Church will organise a special symbolic ceremony at St John’s Cathedral in Nicosia.
Among other events, in October an exhibition will take place in Prague on the destruction of religious heritage in the north.
The Church will also participate in an exhibition, in October, on the Byzantine and Medieval Cyprus at the Louvre in Paris.
In addition, on October 5, in cooperation with the Conference of European Churches, a conference will take place in Nicosia on religious freedom. The conference will be attended by representatives of Christians in Cyprus as well as European officials from the Commission and the European Parliament.
In November, a concert of Byzantine music will take place at the Church of St Sophia in Nicosia, and in December a concert of Byzantine music with hymns and traditional Christmas songs will be held in Brussels.
