Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros has said that the memories of persecution and uprooting during the Turkish invasion in Cyprus in 1974 remain alive despite the fact that almost half a century has passed since then.
In a message for the memorial service for the fallen heroes of the Cypriot struggle, he expressed hope that the struggle can bring about the desired result of a strong, united and free Cyprus.
“Memories of persecution and uprooting from ancestral homes remain alive today. Many Cypriots of Kyrenia, Ammochostos and other bloodied areas recount with great sorrow the uprooting, rapes, pillaging and destruction that took place, and they rightly demand justice and liberation of their homeland, so that the island may be reunited under the flag of the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union” he said.
He added that “we weep and ache when remembering this gross injustice and invasion; when recalling the beautiful beaches of Ammochostos and Kyrenia; when worshiping the monasteries of Saint George and Saint Andrew the Apostle in Karpasia, of Saint Barnabas in Salamis and Saint Spyridon in Tremetousia; when awakening the vivid memories of celebrations and festivals, of weddings and songs, in the long-suffering villages of the occupied regions, and of the peaceful coexistence of Turkish and Greek Cypriots”.
However, he noted, despite the fact that almost half a century has passed, and despite the fact that the Turkish government seems to be unyielding to the appeals and resolutions of the United Nations, “we continue to believe that the pressure exerted by the Greek and Cypriot governments, the philhellenic senators and representatives in Congress and the Senate, the Greek Cypriot organizations everywhere, and all of you Orthodox Christians – together with the earnest prayers that we offer today, Sunday, July 23, in a memorial service for the fallen heroes of the Cypriot struggle in all the parishes of our Sacred Archdiocese – I am confident can bring about the desired result of a strong, united and free Cyprus”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency