Archbishop of Cyprus Pledges Continued Cooperation with New Pope

Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus has pledged to continue working closely with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV. Speaking on Sunday, the Archbishop said he plans to visit the Vatican in the near future and personally extend an invitation for the Pope to visit Cyprus.

He expressed confidence that the dialogue established with the Roman Catholic Church during Pope Francis’s time would carry on, “so that Christians can continue to share a message of unity.” The Archbishop added that the Church has already sent a congratulatory telegram to the new pontiff.

“We are confident that cooperation between the Roman and Cypriot churches will continue, because for us, what matters is the institution—not the individual who represents it,” Archbishop Georgios said during a Mother’s Day event, celebrated in Cyprus on the second Sunday of May.

Pope Leo XIV, elected last Thursday, is the 267th pontiff and the first American to hold the position. Although a meeting previously planned for May between Archbishop Georgios and the late Pope did not take place, efforts are underway to reschedule it. One of the main topics of the upcoming discussions will be the proposed transfer of the Apostle Paul’s tomb to Cyprus.