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Boy George returns stolen artefact

Nicosia, Cyprus - The Orthodox Church of Cyprus on Thursday thanked former Culture Club singer Boy George for returning an icon of Christ it says was stolen from a church in the breakaway north of the divided island.

Boy George agreed to return the 18th century icon he bought from a London art dealer in 1985 after being presented with proof of its true origin, the church said in a statement posted on its website.

The church said it tracked down the icon after being alerted by an informer who saw Boy George with it on a Dutch TV show last November.

Boy George, who said he was unaware of the icon's history when he bought it, personally handed the icon over to Bishop Porfyrios in London on Wednesday. In return, the bishop gave him a modern icon of Christ as a token of gratitude and "with the wish that others soon follow his example".

The church says scores of religious artefacts, including icons and mosaics, were stolen from Greek Cypriot churches in the Turkish Cypriot north after Turkey's 1974 invasion which followed a failed coup by supporters of union with Greece.

Many have since appeared on the international art market and the Cyprus Church has been actively seeking to repatriate them.


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