A metropolitan of the Church of Greece called the promotion of same-sex marriage a threat to the institution of the family

Metropolitan Seraphim of Kyphira issued a strongly worded statement in which he called contemporary attempts to legitimize same-sex unions a serious threat to the traditional Christian family. The hierarch’s message, published at by the Greek edition of the Union of Orthodox Journalists (SPZ), calls on the faithful to defend spiritual values and resist alien cultural trends.

In his address marking the beginning of the church year, Metropolitan Seraphim emphasized that the institution of marriage in Greece has been subjected to systematic erosion over the past decades. Among the factors undermining the foundations of the traditional family, the metropolitan highlighted the legislative simplification of divorce procedures, the decriminalization of adultery, as well as the introduction of civil partnerships and the possibility of adoption by same-sex couples.

The hierarch expressed particular concern about the situation in the education system. According to the metropolitan, elementary school-aged children are asked, as part of their social studies assignments, to consider non-traditional forms of cohabitation as equally valid alternatives to the family. ““Such ideas pose a direct threat to the moral upbringing of children,” the clergyman emphasized, adding that discussions are already emerging in the public sphere even about the possibility of recognizing unions between humans and animals.

In conclusion, Metropolitan Seraphim called on his flock to turn their homes into “home churches” where Christian ideals are preserved. He called on the faithful to follow the example of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos, who serve as a model of a blessed marriage. It should be noted that this is not the first time the bishop has spoken out forcefully on this topic: he has previously taken disciplinary action against politicians who supported expanding the rights of the LGBT community.