-
.
- Ελληνικά
MP Panicos Leonidou, head of the Cypriot delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IPA) and Member of the International Secretariat of the Assembly, participated in a mission of the Assembly's delegation to Munich.
The IOA delegation had a meeting with the Vice President of the Bavarian Parliament, Mr. Tobias Reiss, who was informed about the work, aims and activities of the Assembly, including the Assembly's international enlightenment campaign on the issue of the conversion of places of worship and churches. In this context, the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque was condemned as an act of instrumentalisation of religion for political purposes by the Turkish leadership. Leonidou referred to the violation of religious freedom and the destruction of Christian heritage, which is taking place in the Turkish-occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus. He underlined that the Cypriot delegation to the IUCN embraces and actively participates in the efforts made by the Assembly for the protection of the world cultural heritage, as it is highlighted through the universality of Orthodoxy. This issue, Mr Leonidou stressed, is of particular importance for Cyprus, in the context of the efforts made by the occupying regime to respect the basic right of Greek Cypriots to practice their religious beliefs in all Orthodox churches and other places of worship in the occupied territories.
The IOA delegation also had separate meetings with representatives of the Bavarian Council of Christian Churches, the Institute for European and Transatlantic Dialogue and the Munich Local Government. During the meetings, Mr Leonidou expressed his appreciation for the very important work and actions carried out by these institutions of the German state of Bavaria on issues related to the protection of the world cultural heritage, contributing to efforts to impregnate the dialogue on democracy, parliamentarianism and the rule of law with Christian principles and values, particularly in the context of the debate on the future of Europe. Mr Leonidou pointed out that in a candidate country for accession to the European Union, such as Turkey, there is a flagrant violation of human rights and religious freedoms, underlining that in Cyprus this problem is well known, as a result of the Turkish invasion and occupation of part of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus for forty-nine years: The Temples of the Wisdom of God around the World" and the photo exhibition of the same name, at the "Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew" Cultural Centre of the Church of All Saints in Munich.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
