The Archdiocese of Cyprus is set to unveil a program offering material support to families with three or more children, aimed at supporting the state’s efforts for demographic recovery. Cyprus currently has a birth rate of 1.4%, while it needs 2.1% for population replacement every 25 years. This problem that has been recognized by President Nikos Christodoulides, who, attending an event for the Celebration of Mothers with Many Children on May 11, announced that new measures will be rolled out to address the problem.

And according to information from philenews, Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus has also long been concerned about the demographic issue and is preparing the Church to offer ongoing support to large families.

Though not all details of the program have been revealed, it’s known that to receive support, families must meet three criteria:

• at least one parent must have Cypriot citizenship

• at least one parent must be Orthodox

• the child who will benefit must be baptized

The amount of support will be based on the specific needs of the individual families.

The Church has also taken measures to combat the demographic crisis in the country of Georgia. There, the greatly beloved Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II instituted a “program” in January 2008 whereby he personally becomes Godfather to every third and higher child of Orthodox families. His Holiness currently has more than 48,000 godchildren. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 15. Mai 2025)