Cardinal Sandri prayed at the church in Gürpınar and Özhan

Roman Catholic Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Cardinal Leonardo Sandri prayed at Ay.Marina Church in Gürpınar and at Ay. Archangelos Michael Church in Özhan. Sandri was welcomed by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Erhan Erçin at Ay.Marina Church. Maronites who live in Özhan and Gürpinar also prayed with Sandri.

During the prayer at Ay. Marina Church, Cardinal Sandri had good wishes for the island and expressed his support to ongoing Cyprus peace talks and his appreciation to those who exerted efforts to achieve peace.

Cardinal Sandri prayed “to bring peace to the island as soon as possible”.

In this period of continued negotiations for a comprehensive solution, indicating that they care about the culture and co-existence of all parties, Erçin thanked Cardinal Sandri for his visit.

Noting that the negotiations are continuing and this is an important process, Erçin said “We will live together in peace on this island, with also the support of the Maronite people, the Maronites are an important part of Cypriot culture”.