(03 Jun 10 – RV) Right now at Holy Cross Catholic Parish, dozens of people are cleaning,
setting up flowers, and putting up banners awaiting the Pope’s arrival in Cyprus.
The
Parish is run by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, whose monastery next door
houses the Apostolic Nunciature to Cyprus.
It is here the Holy Father will
be staying during his three-day journey to Cyprus. It is in the middle of the Buffer
Zone, which separates the island into two sections. Just a few meters from here is
the Turkish-occupied part of the island, the self-proclaimed Republic of Northern
Cyrpus.
The work of the parishioners is being watched from the UN Garrison
across the street. Soldiers are wandering around, and watch from the rooftops. A
reminder that Cyprus is one of the world’s frozen conflicts.
Pope Benedict
will visit the island’s small Catholic Community, including the Maronite Cathedral
just around the corner from Holy Cross. Many of the parishioners here are refugees
from the 1974 Turkish invasion.
Another focus of the Pope’s visit is Ecumenism.
He has been invited by the Orthodox Archbishop, His Beatitude Chrysostomos the Second.
Before going to Nicosia, he will have an ecumenical prayer meeting in Paphos, the
site of Paul’s missionary journey to Cyrpus.
The meeting will be held in a
small Church at the site of the Pillar of St. Paul, where the Apostle was scourged
during his visit. The Church, amongst the ruins of a much larger basilica, hosts
the town’s small non-Orthodox community. Every week, Catholic and Anglican services
are held in the building, and other Protestants meet there on occasion.
The
highlight of the trip is on Sunday, when Pope Benedict will publish the Instrumentum
Laboris for October’s special Middle East meeting of the Synod of Bishops. The Mass
will bring bishops from all over the area as they prepare to discuss the future of
the Church in the region.
The Holy Father’s visit is the first for a Pope to
the island. The people of Cyprus are hoping it will be a memorable one.