The members of the Holy Provincial Synod of the Church of Crete were directly opposed to the marriage of same-sex couples, as well as to parenting.
According to the announcement issued, marriage is a sacred mystery which, “expresses its eternal truth, which is not shaped by current conditions. He respects the person and the choices of each person and does not reject anyone.”
The announcement in detail:
The Holy Provincial Synod of the Church of Crete, according to the Holy Gospel, the Holy Tradition and the Holy Canons, which determine the teaching of the Orthodox Church, with reference to the subject under discussion of the so-called “marriage” between persons of the same sex, declares the following.
For the Orthodox Church, Marriage is a sacred mystery, as a psychosomatic union between a man and a woman, with the aim of their sanctification, and it goes back to the relationship between Christ and the Church.
“This great mystery is, I say to Christ and the church” (Eph. 5,32).
The components of the institution of the family are directly linked to the distinct standards of the father and the mother, as confirmed by the divine commandment “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20, 12) and, according to this, the child has a reference to them.
Any neutral determination of their relationships catalyses the natural institution of the family, highlighting new social institutions in the name of a unilateral and minority “entitlement”.
The call for equality in heterosexual and same-sex marriage, and by extension, the same right to parenting, ignores the fundamental rights of children to be raised and formed in a family environment, which does not cause confusion as to parental identity.
The alleged argument that the institution of civil marriage of same-sex couples and the self-righteous institution of the right to procreation is imposed either by treaties and charters of supranational force, by EU law, or by the current Constitution of Greece is not supported.
That is why it is up to each State, according to its cultural and social identity and its culture of values, to legislate freely on this issue.
This is observed in the countries of the European Union, where there is no homogeneous regulation, but in the context of multiculturalism, there are strong differences.
Understandably, however, it raises questions because many supporters of same-sex “marriage” invoke Western European values and European institutions when, in most other cases, they blast them.
The Orthodox Church expresses its timeless truth, which is not shaped by current conditions. He respects the person and the choices of each person and does not reject anyone.
However, this does not mean that any entitlement and social phenomenon must be recognised as an institution.
The only ones competent to legislate are the Government and the Parliament of the Greeks. However, like every citizen, the Church has the constitutional right to express its position freely.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/01/16/church-of-crete-same-sex-couples/