DAILY CATHOLIC MONDAY August 9, 1999 vol. 10, no. 148
NEWS & VIEWS |
ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND EVIDENCE OF ST. PAUL ON CYPRUS; ORTHODOX CHURCH PROTEST CYPRUS HOSTING MISS UNIVERSE CONTEST IN 2000NICOSIA, Cyprus (CWNews.com) - Italian archeologists said on Thursday that they have found a marble inscription on the island that supports the Biblical assertion that St. Paul preached there.The researchers from Catania University said they had found fragments at a dig in the town of Paphos bearing the inscription "Apostolou Paulou." The fragments were found close to a temple dating from the ancient Hellenistic period and dedicated to the Greek god Apollo, team director Professor Filippo Guidice told reporters. "This marble was made to commemorate the presence of the saint there," Giudice said. "There is another marble like this in the catacombs of the Vatican." Acts 13:4-6 relates how Paul and Barnabas visited Cyprus and journeyed as far as Paphos. Giudice said the fact that the fragments bearing Paul's name were found near the temple of Apollo reaffirmed previous evidence that pagan temples were gradually taken over for Christian worship.
Meanwhile, the "Miss Universe" contest, which is scheduled to
take place in Cyprus in May of the year 2000, has unleashed a serious
debate. The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church expressed "surprise
and sadness when it heard that during the celebrations to commemorate
2000 years since the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, an international
spectacle will take place that scandalizes the Church's flock."
Archbishop Chrysostom of Cyprus has called on the government to reverse
its decision, but the Minister of Commerce replied that the event only
helps to promote tourism.
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