TheCatholic Church in Cyprus is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thePope inRome.
There are around 10,000 Catholic faithful in Cyprus, corresponding to just over 1% of the total population. Most Catholic worshippers are eitherMaronite Cypriots, under the pastoral care ofJoseph Soueif, Archeparch of theMaronite Catholic Archeparchy of Cyprus, orLatins, under the pastoral care of theLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem, with a Patriarchal Vicar General. The Roman catholic community ofCyprus (Latinoi, Λατίνοι) is of the three recognised religious minorities of Cyprus, together with theArmenians andMaronites, according to the 1960 constitution,[1] and is represented in the Cypriot parliament.
The Latin Patriarchal Vicariate for Cyprus has four parishes:
The Sisters of St. Bruno and Bethlehem have a small convent atMesa Chorio served by the parish priest of Paphos.[5] A recently constructed hospice provides palliative care, regardless of nationality or religious persuasion.[6]
There is also a Catholic presence through chapels and chaplains serving British military personnel, staff and dependents in theSovereign Base Areas of the island that were established in 1960.
On March 16, 2024, in Nicosia, CardinalPierbattista Pizzaballa consecrated Msgr. Bruno Varriano, OFM, as Bishop, the first Catholic bishop inCyprus in 340 years.[7]
Many of the religious sites in Cyprus can be traced to early Byzantine foundations,[8] built before theEast-West Schism between Rome and Constantinople in the 11th century. Their architecture and iconography reveal a profound influence on ecclesial building traditions still in use in theCypriot Orthodox Church. In the Middle Ages, Cyprus was ruled by a Frankish aristocracy, theLusignan dynasty. They favoured the Gothic style when establishing cathedrals and monasteries. The former Catholic Augustinian Cloister ofBellapais near Kyrenia was transferred to Orthodox Church authorities when the Ottomans conquered Cyprus at the end of the 16th century.[9] Other Gothic churches were converted to mosques, for example Saint Sophia Cathedral, nowSelimiye Mosque (Nicosia), and Saint Nicholas Cathedral inFamagusta, now theLala Mustafa Pasha Mosque.
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