Nicosia, Cyprus, March 3, 2021
Photo: wikimedia.org
The Cypriot Orthodox Church has joined its voice to those protesting against the song chosen to represent the Mediterranean island nation at this year’s Eurovision contest.
As OrthoChristian reported on Monday, Cyprus’ entry in the international contest is the song El Diablo (The Devil) by Elena Tsagrinou, which has sparked widespread controversy and protests throughout the country. Many Orthodox Christians believe the lyrics about falling in love with the devil are an affront to their faith in Jesus Christ, though the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) says the song is a metaphor for an abusive relationship.
In a statement released last night, the Holy Synod of the Cypriot Church calls on the government to block the song from being part of the singing contest to be held May 18-22 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Thousands of citizens have expressed their dissatisfaction to the Holy Synod, including famous Cypriot musicians. The song should be replaced with one that “reflects the history, culture, and traditions and aspirations” of Cyprus, the hierarchs believe. Those who chose the song are making a “worldwide mockery of us, proclaiming that we surrender to the devil and promote his worship,” the statement reads.
“Given the apparent danger of the provocative aspirations of the Turkish invaders, and emphasizing the greatness of the 200th anniversary of national liberation (from Ottoman rule), we call on our people to remain faithful to the national and religious values of the great struggle of 1821 and keep unwavering faith of their fathers, which has survived until the present day,” the Synod states.
The Synod also responded to the CyBC’s metaphorical interpretation of the lyrics, saying it “in no way reflects the provocative and unacceptable content of its text” which represents a “low-grade subculture.”
“In fact, it is a glorification of the inevitable submission of man to the power of the devil,” the hierarchs state.
The Synod concludes: “We live in an Orthodox Christian place where for 2,000 years our Lord Jesus Christ, through the presence of the Apostles Barnabas and Paul and the cloud of saints and witnesses of our faith has abolished the presence of the devil and freed the people from the bonds of decay and death. Let us not become, as it were, the oppressors and trespassers of this truth.”
His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos, a member of the Cypriot Synod, also issued his own statement, saying: “Besides the blasphemy, all kinds of physical and emotional addictions are promoted.”
“I’m very sorry, but this, besides insulting God and the saints of our faith, contains dangerous messages for people’s mental health, especially now, when we are fighting with the ‘devil’ of the coronavirus,” he said, reports RIA-Novosti.
However, the CyBC stated on Monday that it will not revise its song choice, despite the protests and even threats it has received, reports TASS.
One man even threatened to set fire to the CyBC television station, though he later apologized for his actions in a fit of rage over the lyrics and assured that he would never actually commit such a crime.
Another man was charged with barging into the television station and abusing staff, telling them the song is an “affront to Christianity,” with its satanic connotations. Video shows the man shouting at several employees. The petition against the song now has nearly 16,400 signatures, up from 13,000 on Monday.
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