It seems as if every day there is some more heartbreaking news of this church or that church giving way to the pressures and heretical ideologies of the crumbling West. As the prophecies of the Scriptures and the Saints are being fulfilled, we see much of what claims to be Christian falling away, but the Russian Orthodox Church standing strong as the last bulwark, the last remnant, the last safe haven for true Christianity. With great sadness, we see in the below translated article the continued falling of the Catholic Church and the beginnings of the falling away of the Greek Orthodox Church. As it is machine translated, we apologize in advance for any errors.

Image: SPJ There is no resistance to LGBT ideology at the Phanar and the RCC

By: Kirill Aleksandrov

The struggle between supporters and opponents of LGBT ideology continues at the Phanar and the Vatican. What stage is this struggle at and what can be expected in the future?

LGBT and gender ideologies are moving around the world at a tremendous rate. More and more countries are legalizing gay marriage, more and more Western governments are pushing gay propaganda, and more and more people are coming out in gay pride parades. This trend is also noticeable in the religious sphere. In most Protestant denominations, LGBT ideology has made its way into churches. Homosexual priests, bishops or even bishopesses are no longer astonishing.

Until recently, the RCC was "holding out," but now there are a huge number of signals that Catholic resistance could be broken in the near future. The Pope is making ambiguous statements, and Catholics in Germany are openly and insistently demanding the legalization of homosexuals in the Church. There are similar trends in other Western European countries. But most disturbingly, there are corresponding signs in Orthodoxy as well. So far, only the bigots. In this article, we will summarize all the "LGBT trends" in Catholicism (including Ukrainian) and Phanariots at the end of 2022.

Phanar

On July 9, 2022, Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniades), head of the Archdiocese of the Constantinople Patriarchate in the United States, performed the baptism of children of a homosexual couple in a suburb of Athens at the Panagia Phaneromeni Church. There were two articles devoted to this event and the subsequent reaction to it in the SPJ: "What does the baptism of children from a sodomite "family" mean to Orthodoxy?" and "The Phanar's Reaction to the Baptism of Sodomite Children".

A number of signs indicate that this baptism may be the opening of an "Overton Window," the purpose of which is to probe the ground for legalizing sodomy. The proximity of the leadership of the Phanar to the US Democratic Party (which promotes LGBT and gender worldwide) suggests that the Patriarchate of Constantinople intends to follow the "party policy" of legalizing homosexual ideology. It is likely that Archbishop Elpidophoros threw a "test stone" and, based on the reaction, will plan his next steps. And this reaction has been very mixed.

On July 18, 2022 the Synod of the Hellenic Church protested against Archbishop Elpidophoros and sent a corresponding letter to Patriarch Bartholomew, whose canonical jurisdiction falls under Archbishop Elpidophoros. 

On July 28, 2022, the Holy See of Mount Athos unanimously adopted a statement "in reference to the recent public statements and attitudes of the clergy and even the hierarchs of the Church, which give the impression that the Church can accept any other form of family except that established by the Holy Gospel", that is, in reference to Archbishop Elpidophoros' baptism of the children of a gay couple.

Also, the act of Archbishop Elpidophorus was criticized by many hierarchs and ordinary believers. But on the other hand, The National Herald reported that during a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate on July 21-22, 2022 (where the baptism of sodomite children was discussed), Patriarch Bartholomew expressed support for Archbishop Elpidophorus. And this support was expressed contrary to the opinion of most of the members of the Synod.

The National Herald reported it this way: "Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, during a meeting of the Holy Synod <...> received a great number of comments, concerns, revelations and complaints from synodal hierarchs about the arbitrariness and actions of Archbishop Elpidophoros, which put the Ecumenical Patriarchate and personally the patriarch in a difficult position. The head of the Phanar listened to all these remarks and concluded: "Despite the opinion of the members of the Synod, the patriarch ignored this issue (the baptism of children of a gay couple, - ed.) and did not allow anything about it to be included in the communiqué, making it clear that he was covering up and supporting Archbishop Elpidophorus. The patriarch reportedly said that "we can't change archbishops in America every three years," a quote from The National Herald.

In addition, the American news resource Religion News Service (RNS) published a program article by "Archdeacon of the Ecumenical See" John Chrysavgis, who is considered one of the closest Greek church figures and theologians to Patriarch Bartholomew. In this article, John Chrysavgis actually urges the Orthodox Church to reconsider its attitude toward sodomy. He argues that "the Orthodox Church is disconnected from reality and the world and lives in its own bubble" because not only does it not recognize LGBT rights, it refuses to discuss the subject at all. "Are we afraid to admit our own discomfort or embarrassment when discussing sexual principles or practices? Could it be time for a frank conversation about sex and gender in the Church?" asks the archdeacon.

As we can see, the reaction in the Patriarchate of Constantinople to Archbishop Elpidophorus' demonstrative action was mixed. However, the head of the American Archdiocese was not retired, nor was his act officially condemned by the Phanar. So, Archbishop Elpidophorus waited for a pause and realized he could move on.

On October 3, 2022, he gave a great interview to the Greek publication "in.gr," in which, among other things, he touched on LGBT and his baptism of sodomite children. Archbishop Elpidophorus said the following:

"Today we hierarchs cannot insist without arguments, express opinions or proclaim decisions without explanation. It is not enough in our time to publicly publish quotations or 'declarations' with evangelical teaching, 'throwing into the fire' our harsh criticism of those who disagree with us or simply want to discuss it with us. Dialogue with a different point of view has always helped the Church to go deeper into the teachings of the Gospel and has obliged her to speak the language of each age, thus avoiding marginalization. I would even say that today we theologians cannot support our views merely by looking at the past, however sacred and persuasive it may be. We must also respect modern science, medicine, and psychiatry.”

The words in bold print sound like a bid to reject the biblical understanding not only of sodomy, but also of a much wider range of issues where God's Word is inconsistent with the demands of modern society.

Separately, we should note that the Church, in determining its viewpoint, must "respect modern science, medicine, and psychiatry”. This is nothing less than a recognition of the new "sources" of theology. The Church has always formulated its teaching on the basis of Scripture and Sacred Tradition. "Modern science, medicine and psychiatry" cannot be a support for the opinion of the Church, if only because of its volatility. Science says one thing today, and tomorrow the former claims may be refuted by new theories, which in turn will be refuted the day after tomorrow. The Church has always formulated its doctrine and moral norms on the basis of the Divine Revelation and the ascetic experience of the holy fathers.

Archbishop Elpidophorus also spoke favorably about the recognition of women's right to abortion. Here is a quote: "We must support the right of women to decide of their own free will whether they want to become mothers." Of course, such a call was covered with a fig leaf, which was the remark that the Church's position "emphasizes the sanctity of human life, born and unborn." But here the hierarch of Constantinople simply resorted to an uncomplicated logical scheme that is recommended in various courses on persuading interlocutors in negotiations. The scheme looks like this: "yes, but. Here is another quote: "Abortion has been a known method for thousands of years, but it has never been supported or blessed by the Church. At the same time, however, we believe deeply in basic human freedoms."

Now let's move on to the discussion of LGBT rights in Catholicism.

Vatican

In mid-August 2022, the German Synodal Way produced a 13-page report calling for LGBT and abortion advocates to be heard and to stop marginalizing them. "Among other things, the report notes that women, youth, and believers who belong to the church but share different views on issues such as same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion often feel 'marginalized' in their church communities, and more space should be given to make their voices heard," cruxnow.com said of the document.

On Sept. 20, 2022, Cardinal Joseph De Kesel and several other bishops in Belgium published a document entitled "Being Pastorally Close to Homosexuals is a Duty of the Church that excludes no one." It presents a draft of a rite of blessing for same-sex marriages that includes prayers, scripture readings and a part in which the couple can "express before God how committed they are to each other."

Moreover, these bishops announced that each diocese would appoint a "clergyman" who would "pay attention to the situation of homosexual people, their parents and families”. The Nederlands Dagblad, reporting the news, added the following comment: "In doing so, they are going directly against the Vatican. However, it seems that this commentary is not entirely accurate. Indeed, in March 2021, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued an official clarification stating that the Catholic Church has no right to give liturgical blessings to homosexual unions. However, one of the proponents of the church's "blessing" of sodomites, Belgian Bishop Johan Bonney, said the initiative has been agreed to by the pope and that the pontiff supports blessings for same-sex couples. "Now I know what he thinks about it. This is the most important thing to me. And I know that our recommendations for the blessing of homosexual couples, which we recently published, are consistent with Pope Francis' opinion," Johan Bonney said.

This is consistent with the pontiff's repeated statements and actions in which he endorses and encourages LGBT people. Just as an example: in 2018, Pope Francis spoke at the Vatican with one Juan Carlos Cruz, who relayed the pope's words, "You know, Juan Carlos, it doesn't matter. God created you this way. God loves you this way. The Pope loves you the way you are, and you have to love yourself and not pay attention to what people say”.

One gets the impression that Pope Francis is personally in favor of revising the Church's teaching on sodomy, but cannot yet overcome the conservatism of the Roman Curia. For example, according to media reports, back in 2014, almost immediately after his election, Pope Francis pushed for a document that would have radically changed the Roman Catholic Church's attitude toward gays and made it much more welcoming. But at the time, the pope lacked the necessary bishops' votes.

Of course, we cannot say that LGBT supporters in Catholicism have already won. There are those who resist "progress."

On September 29, 2022, the chairman of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Kurt Koch, gave an interview to the publication Die Tagespost. In it he took a negative view of the German "Synodal Way" initiatives for the recognition of the female priesthood, LGBT rights and other liberal innovations. Moreover, Cardinal Koch compares such an approach to what happened in Nazi Germany. "It frightens me that this is happening, again, in Germany. For this phenomenon already took place during the National Socialist dictatorship, when so-called 'German Christians' saw a new revelation of God in the ideology of 'Blood and Earth' and in the exaltation of Hitler," Koch stressed. He stated his negative attitude toward the fact that "in addition to the sources of revelation of Scripture and Tradition," some Catholic bishops "accept new sources" of revelation.

Cardinal Kurt Koch's voice calling for staying on the ground of Scripture is certainly not unique in Catholicism, but the trend is clear. Now only certain members of the Catholic hierarchy of the older generation dare to protest openly. Kurt Koch, for example, is 72 years old. When the elderly cardinals pass away, there will be a generational change, and the RCC will "fall”. Its structures (at least in Western Europe) are quite "ripe" for the legalization of LGBT ideology. It is only a matter of time before this happens.

If anyone thinks that things are different for Catholics in Ukraine, they are mistaken.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The UGCC is part of the Catholic Church and naturally cannot stand aside from the processes that are going on there. Which side (liberals or conservatives) the UGCC will take in the end is still unclear, but the recent scandal with the spread of gender ideology within the Ukrainian Uniates suggests certain conclusions.

On October 10, 2022, the Churcher telegraph channel published a report that a manual on how to work with representatives of different gender orientations in Catholic schools was being distributed within the UGCC.

Brochure for Catholic schools. Photo: Churcher telegram channel

This document was originally developed for Australia, but for some reason the UCC leadership found it very useful for themselves as well. Here are a few quotes to illustrate what ideology is recommended to adhere to in Catholic schools.

"According to Christianity, gender is something separate from biological sex. Gender is usually freely determined and gender is God-given. Gender can change and fluctuate between female and male, and it is a subjective personal choice."

Anyone who has read the Bible, let alone Catholic theologians, is well aware that there is no such thing as gender in Scripture. Neither is there a "subjective personal choice between a man and a woman”. The book of Genesis says very clearly and definitively: "And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen. 1:27). There is no intermediate gender in Scripture. There is, however, something in the Bible about gender that can be found. It is the prohibition against men wearing women's clothing and vice versa. "A woman shall not wear a man's clothes, and a man shall not put on a woman's clothes, for anyone who does these things is an abomination before the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 22:5). An inappropriate style of dress is the most common manifestation in transgender people. As we can see, the Bible contains a categorical prohibition against it and calls it an abomination.

Another quote: "Catholic schools have an obligation to respect and protect authentic human rights. Discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, or intersexuality is forbidden”.

In other words, if the right to choose gender, which is part of authentic human rights, conflicts with God's commandments, so much the worse for God's commandments. Catholic schools must respect these very rights. Let us imagine that a teacher in a Catholic school thinks of quoting the above prohibition against wearing clothes that are not appropriate to one's own sex, or, even worse, the words of the Apostle Paul: "Therefore God gave them up to shameful passions: their women replaced their natural use with unnatural use; likewise men, leaving the natural use of the female sex, kindled lust on one another, men on men making shame and receiving in themselves the due retribution for their error. <...> They know the righteous judgment of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death..." (Rom. 1:26-27, 32). After all, this is the very same discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

After this publication, the "Churcher" channel was accused that it was a guide for Australia, while in Ukraine it was distributed only for information purposes. In response, the admins of the channel published a screenshot of the mailing as follows:

"Eminence and Eminence Lords. On behalf of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, I send you the document of the Australian Bishops' Conference "Created and loved”. The Australian Bishops' Conference has produced this handbook on gender and identity in order to support Catholic schools according to the individual social and soul-pastoral needs of students.

The Handbook for Catholic Schools on Identity and Gender describes the pastoral approach shaped by the theological, medical, and legislative context in which Catholic schools operate. Perhaps this material will be useful in your ministry."

From this letter it appears that:

• The methodology was distributed to all the bishops of the UCC;
• It was sent by order of the head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk;
• The methodology should be used in "your ministry”.

Screenshot of the letter to the hierarchs of the UGCC. Photo: Churcher telegram channel

Conclusions

Discussions in both the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Vatican on the issue of recognition of LGBT rights continue and even reach a new level.

The Vatican has gone much further than the Phanar in the process of changing the Church's moral teachings. Catholic bishops have already developed what is essentially a "wedding ceremony" for sodomites. And Catholic schools are producing methodological manuals on how to educate people of different genders and orientations.

In Orthodoxy the discussion of tolerant attitudes toward sodomy is limited to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and does not affect the other local Churches, at least not in public.

LGBT sympathizers in the Constantinople Patriarchate and in the Vatican tend to be supporters of ecumenism as well. This suggests that the liberalization of church doctrine could take place synchronously and become one of the elements of the ecumenical rapprochement between the Phanar and the Vatican.

Of course, we can say that only certain representatives of the Phanar (and even then in a cautious form) express sympathy for LGBT ideology, so Orthodoxy is not in any way threatened by it. However, this is not the case. The Orthodox Church consists of individual laity and clergy who, like everyone else, are subject to pressure and propaganda. Therefore, we should already think about creating a document that would clearly declare the Church's attitude toward LGBT and gender.

This could be a Declaration initiated by one of the Local Churches. The other Churches could join by voting for it at the level of Holy Synods or Councils of Bishops. This document should contain answers to the questions posed by proponents of the liberalization of Church teaching. What these questions are can be clearly seen in the example of the German Catholic "Synodal Way”. These are: LGBT rights, the legalization of abortion, the female priesthood. And a separate paragraph of this document should be a statement of the fact that the Orthodox Church cannot accept "modern science, medicine and psychiatry" as a "source" of doctrine, but is guided only by Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition.