Posted on 12/18/2005 12:17:07 PM PST by lizol
Russian Orthodox back Vatican stance on gays.
RUSSIA’S ORTHODOX Church has backed the Vatican’s position on homosexuals in seminaries, and accused Protestant denominations of “succumbing to secular values” over the issue. “Homosexuality was called a sin in Holy Scripture – there’s no possibility of any other interpretation,” said Fr Igor Vyzhanov, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Commission for Inter-Christian Dialogue. “There are certain differences in how we handle candidates for priesthood, since celibacy is obligatory for Catholics whereas Orthodox can marry if they don’t aspire to hierarchical posts. But there’s total agreement between both Churches as concerns candidates’ homosexual tendencies.”
The priest was speaking a fortnight after an instruction by the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s “profound respect” for homosexuals, but said Catholic seminaries should not admit students for ordination who “practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture’”.
He told Russia’s Interfax newsagency Orthodox leaders were “astonished” at attempts by Protestant communities “to revise Biblical teachings”, believing it reflected their “dependence on influence from secular currents devoid of all moral foundations”.
“Homosexuals should be viewed as people suffering from a serious illness,” said Fr Vyzhanov, who handles the Russian Church’s ties with Catholics. “If laypeople are forbidden to engage in homosexual acts, so much more should priesthood candidates and Church people seek not political correctness, but a firm foundation for their faith in life.”
The comments came as another Russian Orthodox leader repeated his call for a “Catholic-Orthodox Alliance” to negotiate with European institutions and other faiths on behalf of “traditional Christianity”.
“The main themes would be social, ethical and bioethical questions and family policy,” Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, the Church’s representative to the European Union, told an inter-Church conference in Vienna. “But the group could also work out a code of behaviour for Catholics in predominantly Orthodox countries and for Orthodox in Catholic countries. In this way, it could contribute to overcoming the problem of proselytism.”
Catholic-Orthodox ties have long been tense in Russia and Eastern Europe over Orthodox complaints of Catholic proselytism, as well as over the revival of Greek or Eastern Catholic churches, who combine the eastern liturgy with loyalty to Rome and are known pejoratively as “Uniates” by Orthodox leaders.
An International Commission for Catholic-Orthodox Theological Dialogue met again this week in Rome, five years after breaking down over the issue of “Uniatism” at its last session in Baltimore, in the United States.
Bishop Hilarion said he believed Catholic Bishops’ Conferences should “unite their efforts” with Orthodox Churches to stem Europe’s “rapid de-Christianisation” and prevent the continent from losing its “centuries-old Christian iden-tity”.
YEP.
“Homosexuals should be viewed as people suffering from a serious illness,”
At last a voice from the Common Sense wing of leadership.
Well said.
He is right on target. No debate, no qualifiers, just the truth.
“Homosexuals should be viewed as people suffering from a serious illness,” said Fr Vyzhanov, who handles the Russian Church’s ties with Catholics. “If laypeople are forbidden to engage in homosexual acts, so much more should priesthood candidates and Church people seek not political correctness, but a firm foundation for their faith in life.”
Those statements, along with, most importantly, the emphasis on the Scriptural statement/s about homosexuality, are immensely supportable. It is just wonderful this Sunday to read of these clear and faithful comments.
There is no basis for Protestant incorporation -- even honoring -- homosexuals, homosexuality and those who display a dedication to the cultural support of and about it. Certainly no Scriptural basis. Protestants (some) are more dedicated today to and about cultural memes and cultural indulgences than they are the Scripture. It's become a sort of "anything can be called a 'church' based upon anything" sort of thing.
An Orthodox ping!
ping
Orthodox/Catholic ping !
Let's hope that these noble efforts will come to fruition. Fortunately the official Russian Orthodox church despite its close ties to Kremlin is not completely devoid of the righteous visionaries who can see what's really important.
Russia's looking like a better and better place to live.
Bog zaplac Sergiej
Dzieki
"Homosexuality is destruction in your soul. Everything is written for you in bible."
Thank you all.
More good fruit from this pronouncement.
Yes
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