Cypriot Church Synod speaks out against gender ideology

On May 22, 2023, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus spoke out against gender ideology, reports the website of the Church of Cyprus.

At an emergency meeting of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyrus, a bill was considered to criminalise conversion therapy aimed at helping those suffering from attraction to members of their own sex, gender dysphoria, etc.

According to this draft law, priests will be prosecuted if, during confession or spiritual discussions with a person suffering from sex attraction, they point out the sinfulness of this attraction or advise them to undergo hormonal therapy.

After discussing the issue at the Synod, the hierarchs of the Cypriot Church issued a statement in which they stated that "the Church cannot be forced into silence for the sake of globalisation and the so-called New Order of Things".

The synodal Communiqué said that according to the Bible, God created man and woman, and "sex is a gift given by God to every human being, which serves the mystery of life".

The Synod stressed that "gender is determined by the physiology of the human body and is not an element of choice, self-determination, or change at will”.

The Church does not have nor does it wish to have the possibility of imposing its position on people, but retains its right to express an opinion and advise the faithful.

"The amendment of the Law and the introduction of the above article into the Criminal Code is equivalent to levelling the right to free religious expression and the beliefs of the Cypriot people, which are protected by articles 18 and 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus and the European Convention on Human Rights," the document said.

The hierarchs reminded the politicians that "the person's religious freedom is violated and criminalized, which is guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights".

"The age-old tradition of our Country, which wants the faithful who freely entrust themselves to the pastoral care of the Church, to resort to it for counselling, is penalized" and "the inalienable right of man to decide freely, to choose and to seek, within the framework of legality and religious freedom, support and spiritual guidance in matters which are highly personal and sensitive, for which he can, in the end, be criminalized he himself decides on their acceptance or not."

The hierarchs stressed that "the Church cannot be forced into silence for the sake of Globalization and the so-called New Order of Things," they wrote.

"Under the guise of protecting human rights, a group of people cannot impose their way of life on others, nor should the work of protecting human rights serve political or other interests of vote hunting or public display," the document said.

In conclusion, the Synodals appeal to the members of parliament “not to destroy everything that is healthy in this place. The spiritual degeneration of society is not the best for a people that is fighting for its national survival.”

As earlier reported, the National Council of Ukraine discussed how to combat discrimination against LGBT people.