"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?" [Psalm 13:1-2]

On July 20, we will mark the twenty-seventh anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the island of Cyprus. The invaders seized and illegally occupied thirty-seven percent of the island, representing seventy percent of the country's natural and economic resources. The subsequent ethnic cleansing resulted in the forcible displacement of 200,000 people, one third of the total population, and 1,618 Greek Cypriots [including four Americans] are still missing. Despite unanimous condemnation by the international community and numerous United Nations resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Cyprus, the injustices perpetrated upon the Cypriot people remain unatoned for to this day.

Together with the Psalmist, we also cry, "How long, O Lord?" How long shall the right be trampled down, and injustice prevail? We must not allow the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in Cyprus to be forgotten. Therefore, I ask that on Sunday, July 22, 2001 the priests of this Diocese address their congregations regarding the plight of the Cypriot people, and that a memorial service be held with prayers for the souls of those who lost their lives during this barbaric invasion and throughout the course of the Turkish occupation.

Let us pray that the new millennium may at last bring justice to the suffering land of Cyprus.

+ Metropolitan Anthony

Presiding Hierarch
Diocese of San Francisco