Lefkoniko municipality condemns refusal of service at Church of Archangel Michael

Lefkoniko municipality has condemned the Turkish Cypriot side for refusing a request to hold a religious service at Archangel Michael’s Church in the town, calling the decision “unacceptable”. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the municipality said the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) had informed it that the request for a scheduled service for this Saturday had been rejected. It said the request had been turned down “once again” and expressed “deep disappointment and indignation”, and that repeated refusals “do nothing to build trust or create conditions for mutual respect and reconciliation”. Displaced Greek Cypriots have an “inalienable right” to visit their churches and “keep their religious traditions alive”, the statement said. It called on Unficyp, the UN and the international community to ensure religious freedom, citing international law, the 1907 Hague Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. The church, built in the 12th century during the Byzantine era, was once the centre of the upper parish of Lefkoniko. Conservation work in 2016 funded by the European Union to repair the church’s state of dilapidation came to around €450,000. Lefkoniko, in the Famagusta district, lies on the Mesaoria plain, and was historically known for its lace, hosting a population of over 2,000 Greek Cypriots before the Turkish invasion in 1974. The town was resettled by Turkish Cypriots from Kofinou and the nearby village of Artemi, and is adjacent to a military airstrip used by the Turkish air force. The municipality said it would continue its efforts to preserve historical memory and its cultural and religious heritage.