With references to the ordeal experienced by the Lord towards Eternal Life and what our Cyprus as well as humanity is experiencing, as a result of the war in Ukraine, the Easter message of Archbishop Chrysostomos.[/B]
As he notes in his Easter encyclical, the Primate of the Church of Cyprus declares himself against any military invasion
At the same time he denounces Turkey's actions and what is happening in Varosha, noting that they are aimed at consolidating the fait accompli of the invasion. "This is what Erdogan had in mind when he was making his oriental theatrics," he says.
Finally, His Beatitude sends a message to the faithful that, like the Lord, he "walked with faith and patience on the uphill road to Golgotha and willingly endured the Cross."
Finally, His Beatitude sends a message to the faithful that, like the Lord, he "walked with faith and patience on the uphill road to Golgotha and willingly endured the Cross. Let us, too, endure with the same faith the adversities and tribulations presented to us by the historical course of our long-suffering homeland, with the absolute conviction that Calvary and the Crucifixion will be followed by the paid joy of the Resurrection".
This is the Archbishop's message:
"Dear children in the Lord,
We deserve this year again, by the grace of God, to address you, the pious flock of our Church, with the joyful and hopeful greeting:
Christ is risen!
Christ, "the Son of the Living God", after His crucifixion and descent into Hades, "killing death", "rose from the dead", victorious and triumphant. With Him, He resurrected the human race, hitherto dead from original sin.
The disobedience and fall of the firstborn brought evil and sin into the world. "And because of sin, death passed upon all men" (Rom. e, 12). From this deadly development of sin, Christ saved man by His voluntary crucifixion and holy resurrection. We are no longer slaves, but free, children and co-heirs of the Risen Jesus Christ. With His Resurrection we have become the "beginning of another life, the eternal life". That is why we are called to leave our old sinful life and enter into a new godly one, where we will no longer care for earthly things but for heavenly things, living according to the divine will.
This new life brings us to a spiritual joy and spiritual exultation, because the thick darkness, which previously covered our thoughts, feelings and works, has been dispelled and replaced by the Light that has risen from the empty and life-giving tomb of the crucified Jesus. This unrising, radiant, peace-giving Light of the Resurrection must now settle our minds, warm our hearts and regulate our lives, dissolving all that passions and hatreds, all enemies and malice, cause in us.
The "non and divine Easter" is for us a source of consolation and comfort, strengthening our faith and renewing our hopes for deliverance from the sufferings and hardships of this world. Living in the Light of the Resurrection, we forget our spiritual poverty and feel in ourselves completeness; we put aside the problems of everyday life and feel strong and resilient, believing that we will face with the unapproachable Light of the Resurrection, "Christ fading away".
Dear children in the Lord,
Since the 24th of last February, we have all been watching with deepest sorrow the invasion that Russia, a Christian country, attempted against another Christian country, Ukraine. We are all witnessing the horror of war, the death of tens of thousands of people on both sides, the destruction of entire cities and the destruction of important historical and cultural monuments. It is with pain in our souls that we see the drama of refugeeism of many millions of our brothers and sisters and at the same time we see in the eyes of thousands of young children the indescribable pain of orphanhood and uprooting.
For us, however, the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian forces, and every invasion, brings back the pain and historical anguish that we experienced as Cypriot Greeks 48 years earlier, in 1974, with the occupation of 37% of our territories, the repatriation of 180 thousand of our compatriots and the tragic toll of three thousand dead and missing.
For this reason, as members of the Church of Christ, the only True Peacemaker, we unequivocally declare that we are against any military invasion of one country against another. We proclaim respect for the preservation of the territorial integrity of the countries of the world and, in particular, for the preservation and protection of human life and property of every human being.
We, as Cypriot Hellenism, for almost half a century, are still suffering the tragic consequences of the Turkish invasion. And despite all the painful concessions we have made, in a sincere attempt to resolve the Cyprus problem peacefully, it not only remains unresolved, but, on the contrary, we are receiving threats to settle the enclosed area of Varosha, with Turkey's methodical intentions to take over the whole of Cyprus.
The Turkish president's pompous proclamations about opening up the enclosed Famagusta and returning the inhabitants under Turkish administration would be the beginning of new Turkish fait accompli. This is what Erdogan had in mind when he carried out his oriental theatrics in the once prosperous historical and cultural but now deserted city of Famagusta.
The conqueror's "nspired offense" was humbled by the patriotism of our people with the proud and nationalistic attitude he maintained, with the complicity of Divine Providence, since the weather conditions of that day were so severe that they forced him to retreat.
The holy negotiations, which we have been conducting for so many years, leave us in no doubt that Turkey is using them to consolidate the fait accompli of the invasion. Consequently, we must realize that it is a great mistake to make any other retreat against the conqueror.
All this, my dears, it is only human to cause us grief and anguish in our souls. But today, we celebrate the victory of life over death. The victory of forgiveness over hatred. We celebrate the victory of love over sin. We celebrate the victory of freedom over evil and corruption.
With these thoughts and reflections, let us turn our minds and hope to the face of the Risen Christ - the One who walked with faith and patience the uphill road to Calvary and willingly endured the Cross. So let us, too, endure with the same faith the adversities and tribulations presented to us by the historical course of our long-suffering homeland, with the absolute conviction that Calvary and the Crucifixion will be followed by the paid joy of the Resurrection.
Athos Resurrection!"
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