Archbishop Evgenios of Crete recently shared his perspective on homosexuality, emphasizing compassion and understanding in an interview on Crete TV’s “Antithesis” show.
“Let me first express my opinion about homosexual people. And then we can move on to what is called ‘marriage’. Let’s talk about these individuals. We do not have any concerns regarding homosexual people. Our arms are open for these individuals. They are our brothers and sisters; they are people who have just a different sexual orientation, that’s all. I am not worthy to judge any of them. Christ told us not to judge so that you would not be judged. So whoever says something against these individuals, who need love most of all, they did not take a minute to think about how they have become what they are, their childhood or their traumas… This applies not only to homosexual individuals but also to all individuals who are violent within society,” he said.
“We spiritual fathers are neither angels nor archangels”
“Diversity is not a sin. We love the sinner, but we do not accept sin,” the Archbishop added. At another point he stressed: “There are many homosexuals who come to me and confess, and I know their sensitivity and why they have this peculiarity and we love their peculiarity. We spiritual fathers are neither angels nor archangels!”
“We neither condemn them nor do we castigate them”
“We help these individuals by telling them that what they do is due to spiritual weakness. That’s all. We neither condemn them, nor do we castigate them. If we see them at the edge of the cliff we won’t give them a push. They need our love. Those who try with dilemmas or false dilemmas to divide us aren’t very helpful, I must say,” underscored the Archbishop of Crete.
“I would first of all like to hear the views of experts on the issue of adoption”
“Before anything else, I would like to study and listen to the opinions of experts. I want to be enlightened by people who study child psychology. Are we are going to cause traumas to children? I am not talking about them getting their parents’ sexual orientation. I am mostly referring to traumatized children who would not understand their family, their parents’ roles. The Church can identify the voice with these children. Let’s give opposite-sex couples the opportunity to adopt, let’s look at the most important problem of our days: the demographic threat. Let’s look at these problems which I do not put forward as a counter-argument, but they exist,” Archbishop Evgenios of Crete said.
