akritas
11-12-2006, 05:59 AM
VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI held a private audience Friday with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, who gave the pontiff an album of photographs of destroyed churches in northern Cyprus under the Turkish occupation.
After Benedict welcomed the Cypriot at the entrance to his library in the Apostolic Palace, the president showed the leather-bound album to the pontiff, who looked upset as he leafed through the pages. Some the pictures showed churches reduced to rubble, while others had been converted to restaurants, shops or other secular uses.
"Such destruction ... incredible," Benedict uttered, according to pool reporters who covered the greeting before the pontiff and the president began their private talks.
A Vatican statement singled out "with satisfaction" that Catholics on the island enjoy religious freedom. The Greek Cypriot population of Cyprus is largely Orthodox.
"The pope was very upset and expressed feelings of deep concern," Papadopoulos later said of Benedict's reaction to the photographs. "We all know his concern and deep interest in the preservation of churches and freedom of religion."
In Northern Cyprus, Ahmet Okan, adviser to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on political and cultural issues, said that while there were destroyed and converted churches on the Turkish side there were also several destroyed Ottoman Turkish buildings in the south. In a telephone conversation with The Associated Press, he contended that Turkish Cypriot calls for joint projects to restore Christian and Ottoman buildings were constantly being rebuffed by the Greek Cypriots.
Turkish Cypriots were working toward restoring some of the churches but had limited resources to do it, Okan said.
After years of ethnic violence, Cyprus was partitioned in 1974 when the Turkish army invaded the northern third of the island after a coup by Greek Cypriots who supported union with Greece. Turkey keeps some 40,000 troops on Cyprus and supports the northern Turkish Cypriot breakaway state.
Cyprus, a Mediterranean island, joined the European Union in 2004.
The Vatican said that the pontiff and the Cypriot president "dwelled above all on topics dealing with the integration of the (European) continent and dialogue between cultures and religions which favors both sides getting closer."
The Vatican statement did not mention any particular cultures or religions in the context of integration.
Speaking to reporters in Rome, Papadopoulos said the talks did not address the pope's Nov. 28-Dec. 1 trip to Turkey or the predominantly Muslim country's efforts to gain EU membership.
Touching on the problems of the divided island, the pope "listened to our views and, of course, as it was expected, His Holiness gave me his advice based on the need for reconciliation of disputes," Papadopoulos told reporters.
Earlier in the week, Papadopoulos said that Turkey risked creating a rift with the European Union unless it lifted a trade embargo on Cyprus.
The EU says that Turkey, which is officially secular and predominantly Muslim, must improve democratic rights and normalize ties with Cyprus to avoid stalling accession talks with the 25-nation bloc.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/10/europe/EU_GEN_Vatican_Cyprus.php (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/10/europe/EU_GEN_Vatican_Cyprus.php)
After Benedict welcomed the Cypriot at the entrance to his library in the Apostolic Palace, the president showed the leather-bound album to the pontiff, who looked upset as he leafed through the pages. Some the pictures showed churches reduced to rubble, while others had been converted to restaurants, shops or other secular uses.
"Such destruction ... incredible," Benedict uttered, according to pool reporters who covered the greeting before the pontiff and the president began their private talks.
A Vatican statement singled out "with satisfaction" that Catholics on the island enjoy religious freedom. The Greek Cypriot population of Cyprus is largely Orthodox.
"The pope was very upset and expressed feelings of deep concern," Papadopoulos later said of Benedict's reaction to the photographs. "We all know his concern and deep interest in the preservation of churches and freedom of religion."
In Northern Cyprus, Ahmet Okan, adviser to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on political and cultural issues, said that while there were destroyed and converted churches on the Turkish side there were also several destroyed Ottoman Turkish buildings in the south. In a telephone conversation with The Associated Press, he contended that Turkish Cypriot calls for joint projects to restore Christian and Ottoman buildings were constantly being rebuffed by the Greek Cypriots.
Turkish Cypriots were working toward restoring some of the churches but had limited resources to do it, Okan said.
After years of ethnic violence, Cyprus was partitioned in 1974 when the Turkish army invaded the northern third of the island after a coup by Greek Cypriots who supported union with Greece. Turkey keeps some 40,000 troops on Cyprus and supports the northern Turkish Cypriot breakaway state.
Cyprus, a Mediterranean island, joined the European Union in 2004.
The Vatican said that the pontiff and the Cypriot president "dwelled above all on topics dealing with the integration of the (European) continent and dialogue between cultures and religions which favors both sides getting closer."
The Vatican statement did not mention any particular cultures or religions in the context of integration.
Speaking to reporters in Rome, Papadopoulos said the talks did not address the pope's Nov. 28-Dec. 1 trip to Turkey or the predominantly Muslim country's efforts to gain EU membership.
Touching on the problems of the divided island, the pope "listened to our views and, of course, as it was expected, His Holiness gave me his advice based on the need for reconciliation of disputes," Papadopoulos told reporters.
Earlier in the week, Papadopoulos said that Turkey risked creating a rift with the European Union unless it lifted a trade embargo on Cyprus.
The EU says that Turkey, which is officially secular and predominantly Muslim, must improve democratic rights and normalize ties with Cyprus to avoid stalling accession talks with the 25-nation bloc.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/10/europe/EU_GEN_Vatican_Cyprus.php (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/10/europe/EU_GEN_Vatican_Cyprus.php)