In the land of exaggerations – Article by Eleni Mavrou, AKEL Political Bureau member

 

Sunday 13 November 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

It is said that the apostle Pavlos is the father of the phrase, “Of the dead, speak no evil” (from sin). Many theologians interpret this to mean that the dead are absolved from sin not because their sins are forgiven, but because they are no longer able to sin.

Last Monday, Archbishop Chrysostom II passed away. In the face of death we are all in awe. Especially when death was preceded by a long and painful battle with cancer. However, there is a long way from “Of the dead, speak no evil” to the canonisation we have witnessed in recent days. Death is not a bathing pool of Siloam that washes everything away.

In the land of exaggeration we have heard about the “humility and nobility of soul” of the deceased. We have heard of his “diligence in preserving and conserving our cultural heritage”. We have heard that “he was always a helper and protector of our fellow human beings who were economically vulnerable and in difficulty”.

Respect for one that has passed away does not mean canonising them.

There have been many occasions when his actions and statements have provoked widespread reactions.

Have we forgotten the 300,000 euros that he took a bribe from the wanted man Jho Low to mediate in order to obtain a ‘golden’ passport quickly (illegally, in fact)?

Have we forgotten that to facilitate the purchase of the land (of the Archdiocese) from the Malaysian he saw to it that the beach of Kampouri was razed to the ground (illegally again)?

Have we forgotten then that he took, at will, 450,000 euros from the bench of the Panagia of Trachona (money that was given by the people for the construction of a church) and…dismissed the church committee that dared to react?

Have we forgotten about the sackings of workers at the KEO beer company (of which the Archdiocese is a major shareholder) by threatening to shut down the company otherwise?

Have we forgotten the Archdiocese’s 1,000 euro contribution after the devastating 2007 fires in Greece and his statement that “the money of the Church shouldn’t be thrown at the wedding of a clown”?

Have we forgotten the tons of sand he grabbed from the beach in Lara to build a golf course?

Have we forgotten his “thank God I’m clean, cancer didn’t fit my character” or his statements about the “fruit” of homosexuality?

Have we forgotten when the deceased, for example, threatened that “I will take a tractor and tear everything down” at the archaeological site of Geroskipou or when he sent a bulldozer to secretly demolish the three listed buildings that obstructed the view of the new cathedral in Nicosia?

Have we forgotten the time when he described the supporters and members of the far-right ELAM as “good guys with crystal-clear positions” and the satisfaction he expressed when ELAM was elected to Parliament – a party with known links to the criminal organisation of the Greek neo-Nazis?

For sure, Chrysostomos II did so some positive work. The fact that, for example, he restored the Holy Synod as a full Synod of the Autocephalous Church after eight centuries, I am sure is very important to the Church of Cyprus.

But let us at long last learn that the phrase “Of the dead, speak no evil” does not exempt anyone from criticism for what he/she did while still alive.