Turkish Cypriot ‘Grinches’ Steal Christmas, Stop Holiday Liturgy

By on December 26, 2010 in Cyprus, news

Turkish forces in the occupied area of Karpasia in Northern Cyprus have presented a new challenge regarding the celebration of Christmas by Christians living in the territory. For the first time in 36 years Christians trapped in the occupied area were forbidden from celebrating Christmas.
On Christmas morning, Saturday 25 December 2010, Father Zacharias and a large number of people went to the Church of Saint Sinesios in Rizokarpaso (photo) to begin Matins for Christmas. Meanwhile men of the occupied forces rushed to the church, interrupted the service, urged the priest to remove his vestments, and ordered everyone leave the church. When everyone had left, the doors were sealed.
The same happened in the Church of the Holy Trinity where Father Konstantinos was serving.
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus was saddened by the provocative attitude of the occupied forces.



  • E. Nondas

    We are not surprised when we learned that the Greek Cypriots in the occupied Rizokarpaso were expelled by Turkey’s armed forces from the Christian Church on Christmas Day prohibited to practice their holiest day of ceremony and the priests were forced to remove their vestments . The same also atrocious acts were done in the Holy Trinity church against father Konstatinos by the occupied Turkey’s army of Attila. We like to tell President Christofias, UN, UNESCO and the European union to stop having false hopes or dreaming about the prospect of negotiating any Cyprus settlement with Turkey . It has been proven time and time again through out Turkey’s history since the enslavement of Constantinople May 29/ 1453, Turkey remains to be a barbaric Asiatic nation descending from the Hunns ,and never to be civilized or European. Turkey is a country created on stolen properties and lands taken by the force of arms at the expense of Greece and Hellenism,Armenia, Kurdistan, Syria and many others. President of Cyprus Mr. Christofias must stop to have any false hopes of having a reunification of Cyprus with the pawn of Ankara Dervis Eroglu. The solution to Cyprus is the implementation of UN, security council resolutions, and to impose sanctions against Turkey until it gets its illegal army of occupation ,and illegal Anatolian settlers out of Cyprus. The recent Turkey’s aggression against the Cypriot Priests and the Christian Church on Christmas day , is a barbarous act,and against the values and the principles of EU and Turkey must be stopped for having accession talks with EU .

    Sincerely E. Nondas

  • http://THeHelenicVoice Demetrous

    Turkish forces in the occupied area of Karpasia in Northern Cyprus have presented a new challenge regarding the celebration of Christmas by Christians living in the territory.

    HEY you guys are guests. . . . The people of Cyprus would never interfere with your services on your high holidays. The Cypriot people are not heartless as the Turkish forces.

  • Tony Elkin

    How, very strange, I think there is only half a story being told here. We celebrated Christmas in Kyrenia, in Church, then celebrated with our Muslim friends who are totally tolerant of our religion in this secular part of the Island.

    Someone is telling porkies I think, and by the way, Christians are not “trapped” here, if you believe that it shows how little you know about the North of Cyprus.

    Now, about your “racist” Archbishop, that is a different matter, or not?

  • Tony Elkin

    One final posting from me on the subject, this article has been the fount of much discussion here in the “Occupied Zone” over the last few days since its appearance on this news sheet, and refuted in a statement by the PM.
    It is totally false and another example of the anti-Turkish propaganda put out by the Hellenistic oriented supporters of the “Dark Side”,
    With rubbish like this being believed by the ignorant in the EU, it’s no wonder that the Turkish ’74 Police Action, a quite legal anti-EOKA intervention action in the eyes of many, has been turned into an invasion.

    If I had not seen this in print with my own eyes I would have had difficulty in believing that you people could stoop so low as to lie about the Christmas festivities….. Try reading Hurriet or Zaman Turkish news papers and see just how well Islam supported Christmas for us expats.

    Do you still teach in your schools that Turkish women “couple” with animals? – or have you moved on to some newer slander?

    Disgusted of Kyrenia

  • http://Alsancak Ben

    Get even better by time it gets to the US. It now happened at 7 or more churches

    http://www.hyscience.com/archives/2010/12/religion_of_pea_24.php

    “The local Cyprus TV and radio are reporting since Christmas evening that troops in northern occupied Cyprus entered at least seven Greek Orthodox churches, stopped the worship services, threw out the people, and in at least one case forced a priest to remove his clerical dress.”

  • http://Alsancak Ben

    I’m surprised they found 7. I had read in the Greek Cyprus papers they had all been destroyed. Like Tony I smell something fishy or is it a rat

  • e.dogrusoyler

    Before start to critize any wrong doings, it’s best to research back ground events. All brain washes somehow happening in most of the religious places.Priest and his followships, instead of spreading good words,end up spreading bad words.This places becoming people’s brain filled with hates,anger and revenge instead of praying for god etc. History shows us that most of the greek priests distance themself from the real duty in this case praying spreading good and peace. Instead creating hateful new generations by using churches, this way abusing their authorities and their real duties. History full with this evidences. We don’t need to go too far back. See Cyprus problems in 1959-1974. One and main architec is Macarios. So if Turks did cause a problem at Karpasia, main reason is base on not trusting the greek priest. We shoulnd’t suprise too much.If the event was purely for celebrating christmas and praying shouldn’t be any cause. But I doubt that, that was the main intend in the priest mind. History regretable still proving this to us.