Greece has just approved same-sex marriage. Orthodox church is beside itself with fury.

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IOANNIS FOTOPOULOS, above, is a hoary old priest in the Greek Orthodox Church, and like fellow clerics he is outraged that Greece had voted to legalise same-sex marriage in the face of strong religious opposition.

Fotopoulos expressed his horror in a video shot just before Greece became the first Orthodox Christian-majority country to approve marriage equality for gay people.

Rumblings of discontent among church leaders began earlier this year when it was announced legalisation would be fast-tracked by the government.

Opposition came not only from those in the Orthodox Church in Greece, but as far afield as Turkey, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, which heads Orthodox churches around the world, condemned the Greek plan.

Metropolitan Bishop Panteleimon, a spokesman for the Greek Church’s governing Holy Synod, said that its written objections would be sent to all members of Greece’s parliament and read out at Sunday services around the country on February 4.

He declared:

What the church says is that marriage is the union of a man and a woman and that is the source of life. The elders of our church are concerned with defending and supporting the family.

Yawn.

And the bishop of Piraeus claimed that homosexuality was a “mortal sin” and a cause of cancer. “Google it and you will see,” he told stunned interviewers on Skai TV.

It’s not only the God-squad who are up in arms. Far-right lawmaker Vassilis Stigas, head of the small Spartans party, described the measure as “sick” and claimed that its adoption would “open the gates of Hell and perversion.”

Kids as ‘pets’

Photo by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

The Church’s main argument centred around the issue of raising children, claiming they are being treated as “accessories” and “companion pets” for gay couples.

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said at the time:

We always listen to the opinions of the Church with respect, But at the same time, we are implementing our policy, and will listen to the views of society, civil society, the citizenry, institutions, and parties in total..

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12 responses to “Greece has just approved same-sex marriage. Orthodox church is beside itself with fury.”

  1. Me thinks Fotopoulos protests too much, how long before we find that he is homosexual?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You can go first…

      Like

  2. “Kids as companion pets for gay couples?” What an offensive, crass, ignorant comment. To be expected I suppose.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Especially as most of us detest the ghastly little things!

      Like

      1. I like dogs myself. You can’t take kids for a walk on a lead.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. This is really a reply to deniswatkins1 but he does not seem to have merited a Reply link. Please excuse the imposition.
        My parents would take me and my siblings for a walk on a lead fairly often. It was similar to this.
        https://www.clippasafe.co.uk/products/padded-harness-walking-reins
        There might be a Daguerrotype in the family archive. I don’t think it warped me unduly.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Vanity Unfair: Reains. My sister and I had them in the 1950s!

        Like

  3. It is unfortunate that these paleolithic throwbacks struggle to exist in the modern world.

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    1. They survive on the ignorance of the Greece population, 90% are paleolithic (greek orthodox), 2% muslim and 8% atheist.

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  4. ‘Kids as companions.’ Ugh! I suggest that if you ask any orphaned child anywhere in the world what they most want, 99% would say ‘A family.’ We are all of us devoted to our children, but I also suggest that it takes an extra layer of commitment for same-sex couples to have children. They will have to protect them from bigotry and homophobia around them. Whom parents choose to love, to share a bedroom with, has absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, zip, nada to do with their ability to parent well.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was never a fan of the Jerry Springer Show, but saw a 1996 episode that was broadcast last night, focussing on the KKK. It mainly revolved around the abuse and indoctrination of children, which was all to plain to see. Being JS, it wasall very superficial, but these were all fine, upstanding Christian people, doing what Jesus told them!

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  5. I think if anyone chooses to adopt a child there is an excellent chance they will love that child. Once the child is in the home love is very likely to grow. Not all natural parents treat their children well. Some treat them abominably.

    Liked by 1 person

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