Archbishop of Cyprus meets with the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs of Greece
Education is a rock, “on which we must also today support our efforts for the Hellenism of our country and our efforts for the liberation of our country”, said His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus, on Friday, 2 May 2025, in statements after a meeting, at the Archdiocese, with the Greek Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Sofia Zacharaki, in the presence of the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth of Cyprus, Athena Michaelidou. Ms. Zacharaki is making a two-day visit to Cyprus.
His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios said, in his statements, that Cyprus has always had its eyes fixed on the national centre, Greece.
“And if we have remained Greeks so far from the national core, this is due to our education, to our Greek education, and that is why we feel special joy when we have meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Education, especially with the Minister herself today. Our education is a rock, on which we must also today support our efforts for the Hellenism of our country and our efforts to liberate our country.” No matter how many years pass, we must not write off homelands, he added, noting the 51 years of occupation of part of Cyprus by Turkey.
The Archbishop of Cyprus thanked Ms. Zacharaki for the fact that from this year the event of 1st April is celebrated and the necessary messages are being sent out for both the education and the youth of Greece.
“I thank her for establishing this event in the schools of Greece. We hope for another meeting, and we will always be happy and open to receiving her whenever she comes to Cyprus,” he noted.
It is recalled that at the end of March, Ms. Zacharaki issued a encyclical establishing a celebration in the country’s schools of the anniversary of the start of the national liberation struggle of EOKA, where all secondary education school campuses will dedicate two teaching hours of the timetable to the implementation of events (screenings, reports, speeches) and educational activities, with the aim of “informing and raising awareness of the student community about an important chapter in the History of Greater Hellenism”.
Ms. Zacharaki, in her own statements, made thanks for the hospitality, “which truly had the characteristics of sincerity, but also of the enthusiasm with which we discussed, about what is truly at the centre of our efforts, together with the Minister, education, exactly as you put it.”
“We spoke about children, about all that we need to do in order to strengthen the learning aspect, but just as His Beatitude indicated to us, let us not forget the aspect of values and principles. In modern challenges that greatly afflict families, I think that the school, the teachers and of course the Government Ministries can help institutionally, but also substantially, so that we can empower youth,” she added.
Ms. Zacharaki also said that they also talked about the encyclical. “We committed to this encyclical being a signpost for the coming years, so that we can further strengthen children’s knowledge of brilliant personalities, of heroic examples that currently constitute a beacon,” she said.
She continued, saying that she informed the Archbishop about the strengthening of Greek language learning, which is at the heart of the cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Minister, the exchange of curricula. “All of these things that we already have in our program, we will strengthen them even more in the immediate future,” she added.
Finally, Minister Zacharaki referred to education, saying that it is the “rock”, as the Archbishop also mentioned.
Minister Athena Michaelidou, in her statements, said that “it is a priority for us to frame the decision on the honour given to 1st April in Greek schools, with material, and we have also committed ourselves to supporting the effort being made in Greece with our own material from the history of Cyprus, from the literature of Cyprus.”
“It is important that this bond that exists is constantly strengthened, and reinforced. We also spoke, as the Minister said, about the Greek language, the strengthening of our own action plan. It is important that our children learn Greek correctly, and to use it. Language is not only of practical importance, but it is a culture through which all the values, morals and customs of our people are transmitted,” she said. “It is therefore a national priority for us to continue this good cooperation, to intensify it and to have tangible results in all the issues on which we have been cooperating,” she concluded.
Source: ΚΥΠΕ
