Official Statement: To Pope Francis of the Catholic Church

10 November 2022

Greetings,

As an Archbishop who follows the news just as closely as you all do, I have been informed that Elon Reeve Musk has acquired ownership of Twitter. It has been welcomed with great enthusiasm by some, though resulting in great disappointment in the majority of the users and non-users alike.

Unfortunately, despite being a CEO, Musk has forgotten a crucial aspect: the power of impersonation. The check mark next to one's Twitter name is supposed to signify that the owner is a real, approved known person. However, due to Musk's pay-for policies, a lot of users with check marks have emerged without an approved identity. It caused a sharp rise in the number of impersonating accounts, thus resulting in comical situations like the one above.

I, as the Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, am aware that the screen capture of the tweet above is not written by the real Pope, the head of the Catholic Church who resides in the Vatican City State. However, I should also admit that this clever act of impersonation has earned laughter from me. Perhaps it was due to a matter involving him that I had been drafting an official statement about. Therefore, I am hereby presenting you with the official statement.

Greetings, once again. It was known that my predecessor, the Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, deceased this Monday. It is also known that many people from various positions have issued statements of condolences. One has been Pope Francis of the Catholic Church. An excerpt taken from his word is as follows:

“He was a far-sighted pastor, a man of dialogue and a lover of peace, who tried to promote reconciliation between the different communities of the country..."

I would like to ask a sincere question to Pope Francis of the Catholic Church: Should a man who serves Lord and leads the masses with his influence twist the truth?

As the subject of the same God as you are, and a Cypriot right after, I would like to issue my opinion.

The former Archbishop, Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, had expressed his support for ELAM. ELAM, if you are not aware, is a far-right political party in Cyprus that speaks its strong anti-Turkish Cypriot policies. They have been linked to racist attacks, physical or organizational, and they are still ongoing. Their problematic policies include submitting a bill to ban Muslim wear like hijabs. They are connected to a Greek Mainland party called "Golden Dawn" known for being neo-fascist.

The former Archbishop, Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, has been involved in the sheltering of a Malaysian fugitive and conman under shady means in Cyprus. He has used his political position to do so.

The former Archbishop, Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, has expressed controversial opinions on homosexuality and queer topics. His words were far from welcoming, and his influence over people has definitely harmed the sense of welcome of LGBT and queer youth.

Now, Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, are you being honest while labelling people a man of dialogue and a lover of peace? Or are you simply repeating some sugar-coated words to sound appreciative? Perhaps you are afraid of being unjust while talking about a deceased person.

Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, you are a man of Lord, just as we all are. You should not be afraid to go over one's mistakes to teach others not to repeat those. Those mistakes I have pointed out are not minor things, but some are even an abuse of power.

Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, I invite you to criticise people's actions no matter their position of influence or your closeness. I invite you to correct your words and reissue a statement.

As the last word, maybe you should try a few recreational activities to relax your mind. Perhaps even try visiting Paris and seeing the wineries like the tweet above suggests. Maybe, just maybe, it will set a few things right.

My sincere wishes,

The Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, His Beatitude,

Karolos Yarakios.