Paphos bishop Georgios said on Monday that it’s unacceptable that students are renting cheaper accommodation in the north, stating that the church should do more to help.

The bishop was speaking at the old powerhouse in Paphos, where he told the crowd that he felt ashamed when he was informed of the phenomenon.

“My goal is to deepen communication with the youth through the media, with a focus on supporting them,” he said, referring to scholarships and creating student accommodation near the universities.

He said the work of creating accommodation for students in Limassol by the previous archbishop was excellent and is a policy that he would continue.

Paphos bishop Georgios also touched on other social issues, stressing his concern at Cyprus’ low birth rate.

He argued that the rate of 1.3 births means that “the population is not being replaced and that Hellenism will soon disappear, and we will become a minority”.

The bishop said that more support should be given to families so that this trend can be reversed.