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Your Eminence Metropolitan Vasileios of Constantia and Famagusta,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I am here today to greet you, on behalf of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus, the opening of the 7th Conference of Cypriot Hagiology entitled "The Honor of Angels, Prophets and Apostles in Cyprus"
Cyprus hagiology is a very important chapter of the history and culture of Cyprus, and of the Orthodox Church in general, which is the subject of study by researchers from various scientific disciplines at an international level.
The seventh conference adds to the previous successful ones, which covered all periods of Cypriot hagiology, with regard to the honour of both Cypriot Saints and Ecumenical Saints who are particularly honoured in Cyprus, as well as in relation to the honour of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross in Cyprus. A total of more than one hundred speakers from Cyprus, Greece, countries of Europe and the Middle East and the United States of America participated in these Conferences.
The organization of such conferences is commendable and important and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Holy Metropolis of Constantia and Famagusta in cooperation with the Cultural Academy "Agios Epiphanios", that every two years they organize the conferences in such an excellent way with international participants, such as distinguished professors and researchers from Cyprus, Greece, Belgium, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Lebanon and the United States of America.
The topics touch upon various disciplines such as Theology, Philology, History, Archaeology and Art, Architecture, Palaeography, Law, Musicology, Sociology, Sociology, Folklore and Digital Heritage.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Seventh Conference, which bears the general title "The Honour of Angels, Prophets and Apostles in Cyprus", leads our minds to the various chroniclers and writers who have written about the multitude of Saints who passed through the island, or were descended from it.
Among the multitude of the enlightened who lived and were canonized on the island we find Apostles such as Mark, Barnabas, Paul, martyrs, neo-martyrs, hierarchs as well as women Saints.
In the "Island of Saints", as Cyprus was rightly called by the chronicler Leontius Machairas, charity, faith in Orthodox values and the honour of the Saints are not in excess.
The Orthodox faith of the Cypriot was his signpost, his refuge and place of hope in all the difficult moments of his history. The conquerors tried many times to tarnish and slander this faith, with negative results.
With the sad occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion, we cannot but remember the dozens of churches in the occupied part of our island that were looted, either turned into mosques or worse, into warehouses, stables and guesthouses. Sacred relics and utensils stolen and auctioned off to private individuals for millions, frescoes desecrated. The icons from the monastery of Antiphonitis and the mosaics of Kanakaria are only a few examples of the profane Turkish invasion and trampling, not only of our cultural heritage but also of our Orthodox religion itself.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
These are important days. The government is in a continuous process of asserting our country's legitimate rights, lifting the deadlock with the appointment of the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Cyprus problem and ending the Turkish occupation, with the ultimate goal of reunifying our homeland.
In conclusion, I would like to wish every success in the proceedings of the VII Conference to all the participants and speakers-speakers, as well as, once again, to the organizers, the Holy Metropolis of Constantia and Famagusta and the Cultural Academy "Agios Epiphanios".
Have a good day.
(EATH)
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