A circular published by the Ministry of Education of Cyprus [pdf, Greek, pp. 48-9] yesterday marks a new low in the already problematic relationship between Church and State in Cyprus .

In this latest circular, the schools are encouraged to organise student groups that will assist the Greek Orthodox priest in the Sunday service. They are also encouraged to create Greek Orthodox church choirs. If a student is a non-Christian and requires exemption from the Christianocentric ‘Religious Studies’, his or her parents need to make a written demand that must be approved by the District Offices of the Ministry of Education. You see, it is not enough to get the approval of the principal of the school; the process must be as difficult and as inconvenient as possible.

This is not the first time that the current government has actively pursued the involvement of the Christian Orthodox Church into politics, thus diregarding the long-held separation between Church and State. What is different this time is that the motivations are not only political, they are economic as well.

The theocratic turn of the current government was firstly observed when the president of Cyprus, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, appointed as Minister of Education Mr Kyriakos Kenevezos, a person rumoured to have been the favourite of the church. In fact, as you can see from this Cyprus-Mail article, one of the first things that the then-newly-appointed Minister of Education did once in office, was to visit the Christian Orthodox Archbishop and the ‘Holy Synod’ (March 6th). During his visit, the Minister quietly stood by whilst the head of the Church said that he was opposed to making religious studies voluntary, that menstruating women should not attend church, that the church “cannot accept the cohabitation of people of the same sex” and that gay people should “fight against their urges as they would fight against any other passions”.

The ruling conservative DISY, lead by Mr Anastasiades, has always been a party with strong religious affiliations. Nonetheless, this latest hardcore theocratic turn is not just about them supporting the tripartite: country, religion, family. The motivations are financial as much as they are political.

The Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus is one of the richest organisations of the island and currently runs (being the major shareholder) the only local Cypriot bank which is not under the mandate of the troika. In addition to being the major shareholder in Hellenic Bank, the Church is also one of the bigger (if not the biggest) property owners of the island, as well as one the bigger employers. It is therefore crucial for Mr Anastasiades to be in the good graces of the Archbishop.

Unfortunately, the social costs of this partnership are again disregarded. If the dominant religion, which has lately turned into a ‘state religion’, was Islam instead of Christianity, the reactions would be different and those morally outraged numerous.

The extract is taken from pp. 48-9 of the aformentioned circular, so that you can have a first-hand idea of the extremity of the situation.