If you’re a tourist, on holiday in Cyprus, then one day, take a drive down the highway from Limassol and head towards Nicosia. It’s not a long drive and when the highway splits near Skarinou, Junction 13, take the right-hand road following the signs for Nicosia. You will go round a sweeping left curve in the road that suddenly goes up and splits into three lanes, the left-hand lane being a crawler lane… essential for many slow moving trucks that are older than my sixty-one years.

Quite a bit further on, keep an eye open for a brown sign on the left which is quite large and is used to announce there is a Church at the next turn-off. These Brown Signs are telling tourists about places of interest. Brown signs announcing churches in Cyprus are not unusual for an island full of churches, but you will probably be surprised at what is written on the sign as you flash past at speed.

“Did that say, Church of the Missing people?” is probably your first reaction. Then, as a tourist, you’ll probably think, “Oh, that’s a good idea.” Then the thought will leave you and you’ll discuss where to have lunch with your partner. And that will be that. One day in the future you may think about that sign and wonder why there is a church in Cyprus dedicated to missing people. Well, it’s all to do with a society shattering event that took place in Cyprus in 1974. Turkey, the country to the north of Cyprus, invaded the island and occupied a large section of the north. During the fighting that ensued, many Cypriots suddenly became missing persons.

I will not go into details of the whys and wherefores, but simply direct you to this website which is dedicated to those people in Cyprus who suddenly became missing persons at the time of the invasion.

It’s a Sobering Thought that in our modern world, there is tension, even violence, behind many a smiling face, ready to break out into hatred and even lead some to a violent death. It’s also a sobering thought that there are many in the world who have no idea what happened to loved ones who suddenly became missing. Make that your thought for the day.

Tom Kane (c) 2016