A request submitted by the Metropolis of Constantia and Famagusta, through the United Nations, to the occupation authorities to celebrate a Divine Liturgy on November 21, for the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, at the Church of Panagia Trebesa in occupied Acheritou was rejected.
A statement from the Metropolis states that "despite persistent requests for the celebration of Divine Liturgy for 52 years, the occupation regime has been rejecting them, blatantly violating the religious freedoms of the Greek Christian residents of Cyprus."
It is added that "the historic church of the Virgin Mary was preserved with the financial assistance of the European Union, the local community, and the support and actions of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage. It is a building from the Latin period, which today is shaped in the architectural type of a three-aisled domed church."
It is noted that Vespers and Divine Liturgy services will be held at the Church of Agios Demetrios in the Agios Georgios Settlement, as well as a procession of the icon of Panagia Trapeza.
Source: KYPE
