The ancient Church of Cyprus

 independent since the Council of Ephesus (431), has at present

600 priests and over 450,000 faithful. The Turkish system, whereby the head of the Church is

also the civil leader of the Greek population, was continued by the British when they took over

the island in 1878. This explains the double part, both political and religious, played by

Makarios, the recent head of the Cypriot Church, .ethnarch.  and  President as well as

Archbishop.