(March 28, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI on Monday received in private audience the
head of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus and had him as his guest for lunch. Pope Benedict
had met Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus on various occasions
last year during the papal visit to Cyprus, June 4-6, to release the working document
for the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East. The current meeting between the two
is the third since they first met in June, 2007 in Rome. During his stay in Rome,
Archbishop Chrysostomos II will meet Vatican secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio
Bertone and the heads of the Vatican’s offices for Christian Unity, Oriental Churches,
Culture and Inter-religious Dialogue. The Orthodox Church of Cyprus is one of the
15 autocephalous or autonomous Eastern Orthodox Churches that are not in communion
with the Catholic Church having split from it in 1054.