Akel MP raises Cyprus problem and cultural heritage with Pope Leo XIV

Vatican City, Vatican City. Akel MP Christos Christofides met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday, raising the Cyprus problem and the destruction of cultural heritage in the north.

Christofides said he asked the Pope to support efforts for the liberation and reunification of Cyprus under conditions of peace.

Meeting and publications

The meeting took place on August 12 after the Pope’s customary address to crowds gathered at St Peter’s Basilica.

In a social media post issued on Wednesday, Christofides said he presented the Pope with books on the history of Morphou and publications concerning the destruction of cultural heritage in the north, the 1974 coup and the Turkish invasion.

“We asked the Pope to assist in the efforts for the liberation and reunification of our homeland and people in conditions of peace,” Christofides said.

Vatican procedure

Christofides described the encounter as brief and held through a standard Vatican procedure under which religious and political figures and other dignitaries are invited to meet the Pope.

“We tried to convey the magnitude of the destruction and the dangers that the Republic of Cyprus, a member state of the European Union, has faced and is facing,” he said.

Previous Vatican visit

Christofides had previously accompanied former president Demetris Christofias to the Vatican in 2012 and took part in talks with the Holy See.

He said the latest visit had given him an understanding of the “quality and depth” of relations between Cyprus and the Vatican, as well as the assistance he believes could be obtained from the Holy See.