Grand Imam to help prevent further destruction of occupied churches

Egypt’s most senior Moslem cleric has said he would help his Christian counterpart from Cyprus to protect churches in the areas of the Republic occupied by Turkey since 1974.

The Grand Imam of Egypt Mohamed Sayed Tantawi has promised Archbishop Chrysostomos II that he would support a call from the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus to help prevent further destruction of religious sites in the Turkish-occupied areas.

According to the Archbishop’s press spokesman Andreas Demetriou, the pledge was given at a meeting in Cairo between the two, during which the Archbishop outlined the situation on the island, saying it remains divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion, and referred to attempts to afford recognition to the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime in occupied Cyprus.

The Archbishop told the Grand Imam that more than 500 churches in occupied Cyprus need to be restored urgently, otherwise they will collapse and sought support from him to prevent this destruction.

During the one-hour long meeting, Chrysostomos explained that the Church of Cyprus had always respected Moslem places of worship on the island.

He presented the Grand Imam with a photo album depicting pillages Christian churches.

The Grand Imam said he would work for peace and love in Cyprus and promised to communicate the Archbishop’s concerns to everybody and to support his call with all his might.

The meeting, Demetriou told CNA, took place in a particularly friendly atmosphere.

On Thursday the Archbishop will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Today he is to address the faithful, who will gather to hear the Patriarch of the Coptic Church Shenuda.

Earlier today the Archbishop visited various monasteries.