His Holiness Pope Francis remembers late Orthodox Primate of Cyprus Chrysostomos II

His Holiness Pope Francis with His Beatitude Chrysostomos II in the Orthodox Cathedral of Nicosia, Cyprus, on 3 December 2021

His Holiness Pope Francis recalls the late Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, who passed away on November 7, as a man of dialogue and a lover of peace.

By Lisa Zengarini

During the Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Francis turned his thoughts to the Cypriot people mourning the death of His Beatitude Chrysostomos II.

The late Orthodox Archbishop, who had been leading the Church of Cyprus since 2006, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 81 in his residence in Nicosia due to cancer.

A man of dialogue and a lover of peace

“He was a far-sighted pastor, a man of dialogue and a lover of peace, who tried to promote reconciliation between the different communities of the country”, said the Pope”. who remembered with “grateful affection” the fraternal meetings they held during his visit to Cyprus in December 2021.

A protagonist of the ecumenical movement

Chrysostomos was one of the great protagonists of the ecumenical movement. As president of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, he participated in the funeral of Pope John Paul II and in the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate in 2005 in the Vatican.

H.B. Chrysostomos II and the Popes

In response to this fraternal gesture, Benedict XVI sent a delegation to the ceremony of his enthronement in 2006. On June 16, 2007, the Orthodox Primate signed a Joint Declaration with Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his visit to the Vatican. Pope Benedict subsequently met H.B. Chrysostomos II on two further occasions: on 5 June 2010, during his Apostolic Journey, and on 28 March 2011, again in the Vatican…

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