The services are part of our lives and we cannot miss the Church, said Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, who attended the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Epiphany, which took place in the Church of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas in Paphos.
He added that he was stricter than the government in complying with the measures and that, if we did not all become strict, the virus would not be eliminated in Cyprus. However, he hoped that the presence of the faithful would not be banned in a possible lockdown.
The Archbishop of Cyprus stated that we must all learn to be strict and to accept the consequences of austerity in order for the virus to be eliminated.
As reported by philenews.com, he pointed out that, instead of mourning the victims of the virus, it was better to abstain from some festive events, noting that the Cypriot people are religious and want to go to church, to receive the Holy Communion, but, unfortunately, he noted, there is no other way because of the pandemic. He expressed his satisfaction that he saw people in the Church, wearing their masks and maintaining social distancing, while noting that, when wearing a face mask, one protects oneself and each other. So it is difficult to transmit the virus to each other.
Measures such as the use of face mask and social distancing must be preserved very carefully should we have a better life, he stressed.
He hoped that the presence of the faithful would not be banned in a possible lockdown, noting that some spacious churches, such as those of 500-1000 square meters, can house more than 75 believers (current limit specified in the decree), and that the measure of 75 believers in large churches did not make sense.
