"Such
destruction ... incredible!" Pope Benedict XVI Disturbed by
Destruction of Churches in Cyprus
Vatican City, 10.11.2006. - "Such destruction ... incredible," Pope Benedict XVI uttered in a private audience Friday with Tassos Papadopoulos, the President of Cyprus, according to pool reporters who covered the greeting before the Pontiff and the President began their private talks. Previously, the Cypriot head of state gave the Pontiff an album of photographs of destroyed Churches in northern Cyprus, under Turkish occupation.
After Benedict XVI welcomed Mr. Papadopoulos at the entrance to his Library in the Apostolic Palace, the Cypriot President showed a leather-bound album to the Roman Pontiff. Some pictures showed Christian Churches reduced to rubble, while others had been converted to restaurants, shops or other secular uses. The Pope looked deeply upset, as he leafed through the pages, obviously disturbed by the images of destruction of Christian and classical heritage.
Cyprus was violently partitioned in 1974 when the Turkish army invaded the northern third of the island. Turkey maintains some 40,000 troops on the occupied area of Cyprus. The Turkish army, which controls this area, has been accused of deliberately committing a cultural genocide in order to wipe out any Christian reference from the territories under its occupation.
Cyprus became a full member of the European Union in 2004. The EU says that Turkey must improve human rights and normalize ties with Cyprus and lift a trade embargo on Cyprus to avoid stalling accession talks with the 25-nation bloc.
