"We ask the occupation troops permission to restore our churches at our expense and to bring 6 80-year-old monks back to the monastery of Saint Barnabas where they wish to die, in the occupied areas", this is the appeal made from Cyprus by the archbishop of the Orthodox Church, Chrystostomos II, on the Italian TV newscast yesterday, relayed today by the Cypriot Embassy to Italy. "We want to raise the awareness of the international community, recover the works of art that have been stolen and take them back here, so that we can restore them added Chrysostomos . We want our civilisation to be respected". Chrysostomos said they are also willing to restore the mosques in the Greek area. "What we hope for said the primate of the oldest Orthodox Church is that the money that the European Community gave to the Turkish-Cypriot community, 286 million euros, may be used to restore the churches, at least those that need it most". Some estimates speak of 520 churches, chapels, monasteries in northern Cyprus: 133 of these have been desecrated, 78 converted into mosques, 28 used as military and hospital facilities, and 13 for storage. About 15 thousand icons have been put on the international clandestine art markets. Chrysostomos had already denounced this fact during his recent visit to the Vatican, when he was received by Benedict XVI.
