Primate of the Church of Cyprus expresses desire to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Archbishop George of New Justinian and All Cyprus, has expressed a desire to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Cyprus. This statement was made during a recent meeting of the First Hierarch with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Cyprus, Sergiy Nizhynsky, and the chaplain of the OCU mission in Cyprus, Petro Zuev. During the meeting, they also actively discussed issues of strengthening church relations between the two countries and the spiritual care of Ukrainians living on the island.

According to the Embassy of Ukraine in Cyprus, the parties focused on the intensification of Ukrainian-Cypriot church relations. The Ukrainian side officially invited Archbishop George to visit Ukraine, emphasizing that such a visit «could give impetus to the development of interchurch dialogue and mutual support.»

In addition to discussing the upcoming meeting with the Ukrainian leader, which took place after the recent visit of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides, to Ukraine, special attention was paid to the practical aspects of the spiritual care of Ukrainians in Cyprus. In particular, they discussed the opening of the Spiritual Center of the OCU in Nicosia, which is intended to become an important center for the Ukrainian community on the island.

Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Cyprus Sergiy Nizhynsky summarized the meeting, noting: «The Archbishop gave his blessing for joint cultural events. We also resumed the dialogue on the blessing of Archpriest Petro Zuev to hold services in the capital of Cyprus. This meeting is a testimony to the deep respect and fraternal support of the Church of Cyprus, which has long recognized the autocephaly of the OCU and stands side by side with the Ukrainian people in the struggle for truth and independence.»

Earlier, the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Anthony (Sevriuk) of Volokolamsk , named three key motives behind the creation of the OCU by the head of Phanar. According to him, these are external pressure on Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, his personal resentment and sense of revenge, and «papist» ambitions.