Cypriot MP Christos Christofides held a brief meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, presenting him with books on the history of Morphou, in the north, and raising Cyprus's cultural heritage and the events of 1974.
The meeting
In a social media post, Christofides said the meeting took place on Wednesday, 12 August, following the Pope's customary address to the large crowd gathered at St Peter's Basilica. He described it as a brief encounter that followed established protocol, through which religious and political figures are invited to attend the audience and given a short opportunity to meet and speak with the Pope afterwards.
According to the MP, members of a delegation of US Democratic congressmen were also present at the same audience, including Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ro Khanna, both Democratic representatives.
Books and message conveyed
Christofides said he gave the Pope books relating to the 3,600-year history of Morphou, as well as material on the destruction of cultural heritage in the north and the events of 1974. He said he used the opportunity to raise the situation in the north, the 1974 Turkish invasion, and the damage to Cyprus's heritage, and asked the Pope to support efforts toward reunification and peace.
Context of his request
Christofides noted that he had previously accompanied then-President Demetris Christofias to the Vatican in 2012, taking part in talks with Vatican officials, and said he was familiar with the depth of Cyprus's relations with the Holy See and the potential support it could offer.
He said the example of an occupied Cypriot town and its cultural heritage was intended to convey the scale of the destruction and risks faced, past and present, by the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state.
