The London Daily News

Op/Ed - Douglas McAndrew on how the Church of Cyprus will make the "Cyprus problem" a European issue with a little help from the Vatican

The head of the Church of Cyprus Archbishop Chrysostomos II following a visit to the Vatican to meet his holiness Pope Benedict has asked the Pope to work "along with the powerful nations of Europe- Germany, Italy, France and Poland - who are also Catholic, in order to exert pressure on Turkey to terminate the pillage of our religious monuments in the occupied areas".

The new "entente cordial" between Rome and the "old church" of Byzantium, marks a strategic shift in the foreign policy inside Cyprus, with its left leaning Government making alliances with Israel, and the church with Catholic dominated nations.  There is a consensus that there must be bridge building in Europe with Roman Catholics, to lobby against the ongoing illegal occupation of the northern third of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkish troops. 

In what is believed to be a prelude to a much wider European based campaign by the Church of Cyprus, who  wants to highlight the ongoing destruction of religious sites in occupied northern Cyprus by the Turkish army, exacerbated by the recent arrest of Bishop Porfyrios the Church of Cyprus representative to the European Institutions by Turkish troops in the occupied territories.   

"There is deep anger at the wanton destruction of our religious heritage in the occupied territories of northern Cyprus by the Turkish army and its settlers, and we want this to end" Bishop Porfyrios speaking after his release from a cell in occupied northern Cyprus.

Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in a Times editorial 28/3/11 said that "Turkey is a crucial ally and that "Turkey matters" and still harbours ambitions to become a full member of the European Union.  The arrests of clerics and Members of the European Parliament by the Turkish army was, a huge faux pax for the Turks, and it is doesn’t take a genius to guess that those who have a prejudice about Turkey in any case, have now just had it confirmed that Turkey is unfit for EU membership.

Bishop Porfyrios who is the Brussels based head of the Church of Cyprus to the EU said:

"This is nothing other than an abuse of the freedom to religious expression, freedom of movement by Turkey against Cypriot and European citizens".

"The continued abuse of human rights of the enclaved people in the Karpass peninsula in the occupied territories and the plight of the many thousands of Cypriot refugees is campaign that MEPs from Cyprus are attempting to highlight in the EU, and the church is also campaigning for more awareness on these issues".

"The European Union must understand that in the Republic of Cyprus a sustained campaign by Turkey to abuse human rights is not acceptable and must end".

"The Church of Cyprus is making an appeal to all people of the European Union to return its stolen icons and artefacts via by contacting the embassies of the Republic of Cyprus.  People must not buy Cypriot origin icons whose origins are under dispute".

Moreover the growing mood within Europe goes to opposed Turkish membership of the EU is contrary to the consistent policy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office here to support Turkish membership. Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Rome are all opposed to the Turks joining, not just on religious grounds alone, but on the basis fact that you cannot have a sovereign country occupied, destroyed and its heritage pillaged, and then turned into a pariah state, and not be punished for this.

photo credit: Bishop Porfyrios Copyright London Daily News

Pope to make Cyprus a European problem