Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis, the Church of Cyprus` representative to the European Union, underlined the importance of free and unfettered access to religious sites and monuments in the Turkish occupied territories in Cyprus, during a meeting with Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE Minister of State at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office last Thursday in London.
Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis said that “in order to see a just and viable solution in Cyprus that is approved by all communities on the island, the solution must work at a grassroots level, which means the freedom to worship, attend and maintain religious sites, a right that is non-negotiable.”
The concerns of the Church of Cyprus at the current crisis engulfing the Middle East with many thousands of Christians facing persecution was also highlighted with the Bishop Porfyrios supporting all efforts to protect and maintain Christian communities in the Middle East.
“The humanitarian crisis in the Middle East has shocked the world, and the Church of Cyprus is on the “front-line” in terms of support to Orthodox Christians and other Christian denominations. We are deeply concerned about the fate of our brothers in Christ, Greek and Syriac Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo, Boulos Yazigi and Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, who were kidnapped in Syria near the Turkish border on April 22, 2013. We want all foreign governments to help find them and bring them home,” said Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis.
The Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence said that she was delighted to meet Bishop Porfyrios and learn about the work he and the Church of Cyprus have been doing to promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief internationally.
“I asked him to pass my congratulations to the Ecumenical Patriarch for the successful holding of the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete last week. It is good to see the Orthodox Church coming together to debate important contemporary issues.
“We look forward to working with Bishop Porfyrios and other religious leaders to support the persecuted church in the Middle East and to enable it to offer a strong voice of hope for the future of the region,” she added.