Pope Francis begins 5-day visit to Cyprus & Greece; to highlight Europe's migrant crisis

Pope Francis arrived in Cyprus for his visit scheduled from December 2 to 4. On his visit to the island, Pope Francis is scheduled to meet bishops and priests, reported Catholic News. Pope Francis told the Catholics of Cyprus that the Catholic church is a “mosaic” of multiethnic people and urged the people and the church to continue welcoming people. and diversity in a nation. 

Before reaching Rome’s Fiumicino airport, Pope Francis stopped at the parish of St Mary of the Angels and met the 15 refugees supported by Parish. During his meeting with the bishops, priests, religious and seminarians in the Maronite Cathedral, Pope Francis called Cyprus “a land of golden fields, an island caressed by the waves of the sea" with a history of "intertwined people."

Pope Francis' Cyprus visit

After arriving in Cyprus, the pontiff was formally greeted by Cyprus’ Parliamentary Speaker Annita Demetriou. He met some of the 30 Catholic schoolchildren who were lined in the red carpet on his way to the airport terminal building, according to AP. Francis met with a group of asylum-seekers at the Vatican and another group near Rome’s airport before boarding for Cyprus. According to the Vatican, some of these people had been part of the group who accompanied Francis to Rome from Lesbos in 2016.

Pope Francis highlighted that church is a place where everyone is welcomed and added that no wall exists in the church. He called on the bishops and priests to be patient with the people and sensitive to their cultural differences. The pontiff highlighted the need for a church that does not get affected by the changes, however, it calmly welcomes the new situation, as per Catholic News report. He also encouraged the Catholics to show “respect and kindness” for the nation’s other Christian communities. 

In his speech, Pope Francis praised the work of people who welcomed people arriving from other parts of the world. Cardinal Bechara Rai, the Lebanon-based Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, welcomed the pope to the cathedral. As per the news report, Cardinal Bechara Rai told the pontiff that the main Christian communities on the island included Cypriot Orthodox, Maronite and Latin-rite Catholic and Armenian Orthodox and they all have “optimal relations.”

(Inputs from AP)

Image: AP