Scores of Paphos residents gathered on Monday afternoon outside and inside the town hall where the municipal council was meeting to discuss a proposal by the Paphos Bishopric to build a cathedral in the gardens of the town hall.
Around 300, mainly supporters of the project, gathered inside the meeting room where the municipal council convened at around 6 pm. Present at the meeting is Bishop Georgios of Paphos who said he was invited to attend by the mayor.
Another 200 people – both supporters and critics of the project – holding posters gathered outside the town hall. Those in favour of the construction of the cathedral chanted a prayer and sang the national anthem.
Although Paphos municipal council rejected a proposal to build the cathedral in the gardens of the town hall by a majority vote a few weeks ago, the matter is now being discussed again following a request by Edek councillors. This follows a letter sent by the bishop to municipal councillors stating he was ready to discuss all proposals.
The disagreement began after the public gardens were returned to the owners, the church, when a long-term agreement expired in 2005. The church had rented it to the municipality on a long lease and instead of continuing the agreement, as the municipality had hoped, the church expressed a desire to build a cathedral on the grounds instead.
The bishop had expressed his intent to apply for a building permit to use one third of the space to create a new cathedral (of around 730 square metres) in exchange for giving the municipality two thirds of the garden. A similar application was turned down in 2010.
Paphos residents opposed to the idea have formed an opposition group, ‘Initiative in support of the preservation and protection of Paphos Municipal Garden’.
The post Yeas and nays for Paphos cathedral project gather for protest appeared first on Cyprus Mail.
Read more → https://cyprus-mail.com/2019/04/15/yeas-and-nays-for-paphos-cathedral-project-gather-for-protest/
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