Pope Francis in Cyprus: Dialogue Is the Only Way to Peace, Reconciliation
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Pope Francis lands in Larnaca, Cyprus, in a historic visit to discuss unity, the migrant crisis, and peaceful dialogue.
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Pope Francis and Cyprus' President greet each other during a meeting with the diplomatic corps and members of civil society in the Presidential Palace, Nicosia, Cyprus, December 2, 2021. (Reuters)
Pope Francis, in a meeting with Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades, said that there is no other way to achieve peace in Cyprus than with dialogue.
"We know that it is no easy road; it is long and winding, but there is no other way to achieve reconciliation," he stressed.
Addressing leaders and diplomats in the presidential palace, Francis said, "The greatest wound suffered by this land has been the terrible laceration it has endured in recent decades. I think of the deep suffering of all those people unable to return to their homes and their places of worship."
He added that "the way of peace, which reconciles conflicts and regenerates the beauty of fraternity, has a single word as its signpost. That word is dialogue."
Pope Francis arrived in Larnaca, Cyprus, which is the Pope's first stop in a tour that also includes Greece, in a mission to promote unity in Europe and "defend migrants". He also spoke of the division of Cyprus, which has become a destination for people fleeing war and poverty.
"We need to welcome and integrate one another and to walk together as brothers and sisters, all of us," said the Pope, 84, at the start of a five-day trip that takes him to Greece from Saturday.
The Pope was set to underscore his message by taking 50 migrants now in Cyprus to Italy, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said, although the Vatican has yet to confirm the initiative.
In his tour in Europe, the Pope will speak of the migration crisis, as tensions between the EU and Belarus brew, in addition to the tragedy which occurred between France and the UK in the English Channel, which killed at least 27 people.
According to Cypriot authorities, the Vatican will be organizing the transfer of several migrant families from Cyprus to Rome - a repetition of a 2016 gesture where the Pope returned to the Vatican with 3 Syrian Muslim families fleeing the war.
The Cypriot authorities described the visit as "historic". Jerzy Cragg, Patriarchal Vicar of the Latin Church, Jerzy Cragg, told AFP that "the Pope's arrival in Cyprus and Greece, the two Orthodox countries, carries a sure message for dialogue, open and unconditional dialogue."
Pope Francis voices concerns over Lebanon
Pope Francis, at the Maronite Cathedral of Our Lady of Graces, Nicosia, expressed that he was "greatly concerned" over the social and economic crisis that Lebanon is grappling with today - the worst since the 1975 Civil War.
"When I think of Lebanon, I am greatly concerned for the crisis it is facing," he said. "I am sensitive to the sufferings of a people wearied and tested by violence and adversity... I carry in my prayer the desire for peace that rises from the heart of that country."
Lebanon is grappling with its worst-ever financial and economic crisis, with nearly 80% of the population estimated to be living below the poverty line, while the local currency continues to plunge into an abysmal devaluation against the US dollar.
