The Church of Cyprus: Political Modulator and Financial Power

Abstract

This paper seeks to disclose the Church of Cyprus as an institution with political power, as an ideological mechanism and also as a financial force. At the same time, the establishment of the private nature of religion is examined, while emphasis is given to the Church's attempt to transfer the latter into the public space, something that can be achieved mainly through the distortion of political discourse and of political will in general, along with the use of the metaphysical tools of both the Church and religion. Theoretically, even though the Church does not participate in the exercise of political power, it has the authority, the tools, the voice and, above all, the institutional support to do so. Therefore, in what follows, the Church's most important interventions after Cyprus became an independent state – in the fields of the economy, education, presidential elections and national problems – are reported.