The Holy Clergy of I.M. Kythera calls on the MPs to vote against the Bill

Today, January 31st, 2024, we met at the Diocese of Kythera, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Kythera. On the invitation of our Bishop of Kythera and Antikythera, Metropolitan Seraphim, to our monthly Hieratic Synaxis, the priests and the deacon of the Holy Metropolis and after listening to a detailed presentation on the Orthodox Catechesis, after the interactive discussion and the exchange of views, we unanimously agreed on the following.

The Holy Clergy of the I. The Cleric of the Metropolis of Kythera and Antikythera after the decision of the Government to submit the Bill on the right to civil marriage for «Same-sex couples» to the Parliament and in line with the announcement of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece declares the following:

1. Our Holy Orthodox Catholic Church blesses, as is well known, only ecclesiastical marriage and according to its teaching, which is also expressed in the recent decision of the Hierarchy of our Greek Church, rejects civil marriage irrespective of gender, the cohabitation agreements of heterosexual and «same-sex wavers» and the «homosexual marriage» promoted for legalization.

2. The above deviations and diversions from ecclesiastical-sacramental marriage are obviously derailed from the eternal divine law and are contrary to it.

3. In particular, the bill submitted to the Parliament for adoption and concerning ’same-sex marriage« attempts to mutate and subvert human ontology and physiology. It accepts and effectively abolishes the validity of Article 21 of the Constitution of our country, which protects family law.

4. «Same-sex marriage» constitutes a grave sin according to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and according to the letters of the Apostle Paul (Rom. a, 26-27), (1 Cor. f. 9-10), (1 Tim. a. 10). Together with the other passions of dishonesty and carnal worship, they exclude the impenitent from the Kingdom of Heaven.

5. For our Church the word sin, depending on its weight, signifies the existence of psychosomatic illness. «By my many sins my body is sick, and my soul is sick». In Greek Literature it means «error». Any misinterpretation of it, or mockery, does not overturn its spiritual and etymological meaning.

6. Our Church, as the Ark of Salvation and the Church of the penitents, bases its strength and its timeless, eternal power not on people surrounded by sickness, but on our sinless Lord and God Jesus Christ, in whose footsteps it strives to walk. For these reasons he sees with sympathy and love every sinful man. And he has to propose the only remedy for the cure of every sin and every error: Repentance!

7. The bill being voted on is a blatant distortion of the normal movement of erotic feeling, by institutionalizing something unnatural. And the abnormal is not changed by legal provisions: it remains abnormal and therefore sinful.

8. After this we cannot accept as a «way of life», nor «as a right», a way that leads to death. All the more so, when this way of life describes itself as «pride» and not as humiliation (Pride parties, Pride demonstrations, LGBTQ organisation, etc.).

9.Fully aware of our responsibility for the future of our country and our children, we call upon all Christians to oppose the planned ugliness and great shame for the human race.

In particular, we call on the Members of Parliament of our Region, who are our representatives in Parliament through the popular vote, to vote against the Bill (even though abstention alone tips the scales towards its passage), regardless of party, considering their historical responsibilities towards our Nation, our Greek Orthodox Homeland and future generations.