Cyprus: common concerns

The head of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, Chrysostomos II met with Pope Benedict in the Vatican on Monday to discuss relations between the two Churches and the difficulties facing Christians across the Middle East.

A brief statement from the Vatican press office after the private meeting said the two leaders also discussed the question of religious freedom on the Mediterranean island, which has been divided since Turkish troops invaded the north following a coup by the Greek Cypriot national guard in 1974.

Pope Benedict was welcomed by the Orthodox Archbishop during his pastoral visit to the island last June and the archbishop also came to the Vatican for the signing of a joint declaration in 2007, less than a year after his enthronement in November 2006.

During this three day trip, the Archbishop is also holding talks with top Vatican officials and visiting a number of projects run by the St Egidio lay community.

Just after his arrival in the Vatican, Philippa Hitchen talked to Archbishop Chrysostomos who spoke through his interpreter, Fr Demosthenis Demosthenous, about the message he was bringing to the Pope…

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