Pope Benedict XVI Starts Three-Day Visit to Cyprus

Pope Benedict XVI Starts Three-Day Visit to Cyprus

Pope Benedict XVI on Friday began a three- day visit to Cyprus, marking the first by a pontiff to the ethnically divided island nation.

The Alitalia Airbus plane transporting the 83-year old pontiff and his delegation of nearly 37 people landed at the international airport in the seaside city of Paphos, Earthtimes informs.

In the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, the Pope will stay at the apostolic nunciature, which lies in no-man's-land - the buffer zone separating the Greek Cypriot side from the territory occupied by Turkey since 1974.

Cyprus 's Ambassador to the Vatican, George Poulides, will be among those greeting the Pope on his arrival in Paphos, a popular tourist destination for British families, BBC News reports.