Sihame Denguir enrolled her teenage son and daughter in France’s largest Muslim private school, Averroes, in Lille, which lost government funding due to not complying with secular principles.
Tens of thousands of faithful prayed for peace at Portugal’s Fatima shrine amid wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and other places. The shrine marks the site of reported visions of the Virgin Mary over 100 years ago. The Roman Catholic Church believes she gave three messages to three Portuguese children in 1917. Pope Francis made two of the children saints in 2017. Some pilgrims brought Ukrainian flags in support following Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Fact: Soprano Zoe Nicolaidou, violinist Nikos Pittas, pianist Zbynek Maruska, and the EMMELEIA choir will be presenting a concert series called “Music as Eternal Light” in Larnaca and Limassol.
The Vatican and Cyprus have been strengthening their relations beyond just ecclesiastical cooperation. The consecration of an Apostolic Nuncio in Nicosia has further solidified their ties. The Vatican is actively engaged in promoting human dignity, peace, and supporting the local Church in Cyprus. The Vatican Embassy participates in a program that promotes interreligious dialogue in Cyprus. The Catholic Church has faced challenges, including addressing sexual abuse cases, and has made efforts to heal wounds and prevent new cases.
Turkish authorities have detained 48 people suspected of having ties to Islamic State in connection with a shooting at an Istanbul church in January. One Turkish citizen was killed by two Islamic State gunmen at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in Istanbul.
Fact: Several church scandals have dominated the headlines during the Lenten period, raising questions about the corruption within the institution.
Catholic devotees were nailed to crosses in the Philippines on Good Friday in a re-enactment of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.
Catholic devotees in the Philippines were nailed to crosses in a re-enactment of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday.
Tom Cleaver visited Kormakitis, a Maronite village in Cyprus, known for its unique language, Sanna, which is a derivative of Arabic brought to the island around 1,200 years ago from Mesopotamia. Kormakitis, once the largest of four majority-Maronite villages, has around 300 residents and is located in Cyprus’ northwestern corner. The village is significant as the spiritual capital of Maronite Cypriots, who are in full communion with the Catholic Church of Rome. The local church features two boxy cuboid bell towers and an interior with a statue of Saint George and writing in the Syriac script. The visit was organized by the Cyprus Bilingualism Association and the Cyprus Linguistics Society to highlight the linguistic uniqueness of Kormakitis.
Bruno Varriano has been appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Cyprus and will be ordained in Nicosia. This ordination is significant as it marks the first of its kind in modern Cyprus since the Ottoman Empire. The Episcopal Ordination is scheduled to take place at the Filoxenia Conference Centre at 4:30pm. Varriano, of Brazilian origin, was born in Sao Paulo in 1971, joined the Custody of the Holy Land in 1996, and is a priest and a psychotherapist specializing in clinical psychology. He holds a Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical “Antonianum” University in Rome and a Diploma in Biblical Formation. In August 2022, he was appointed Vicar of the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins for Cyprus.