Hierarch of the Phanar: Our arms are open to gays
According to the Archbishop of Crete, homosexuals are subjected to attacks in society, but he is not an angel to judge them.
Hierarch of the Constantinople Patriarchate, Archbishop Evgenios of Crete, stated that "our arms are open" to homosexuals.
During the television program "Antithesis" on Crete TV, Archbishop Evgenios said that"we do not have any concerns regarding homosexual people," and "our arms are open for these individuals" because "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...," said the hierarch of the Phanar.
Also, in his opinion, homosexuals are subjected to attacks in society, "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," believes the Archbishop of Crete.
Earlier, UOJ reported that Patriarch Bartholomew had an audience with a Greek gay politician.
