Christianity, since it’s birth has always condemned gay people. The keepers of Christianity have always believed that, it’s the mere existence of gay people that is wrong. This concept of church, though greeted among LGBT society with great hostility has forced gay people to hide their identity and live in a perpetual fear of the society- which also regards homosexuality as a taboo. However, there are signals that the times are changing and the world is getting better for gay people. Thanks to the new laws, they are finally starting to enjoy equal rights to their non gay mates and this revolution of cultural acceptance is starting to have it’s effect on changing the views of churches as well.

Chrysostomos of the Metropolitan of Messinia, a major church in Southern Greece said, in an interview, that gay people, like all humans, are a creation of God and they deserve the same respect and honor and it’s completely wrong to subjugate them with violence and scorn.

Chrysostomos’s bold statement was issued right after another bishop of the church of the town Kalavryta, Metropolitan Ambrosios, which lies in proximity of Messinia, lambasted gay people saying “Spit on Them, Beat them Up, They Are Not Human”

The harangues of the bishop was to express his extreme dissent to the new legislation set by the ruling party to extend domestic partnership status to gay couples which continues the tradition of giving equal rights to the married non-gay couples.

This statement from the enforcer of religion was greeted with utmost obloquy. A cartoonist from a popular Greek newspaper drew the picture of bishop near to Jihadist and the bishop said, “Brother, I’ve said this before… You’re wasting your time in Greece.”

Justice Ministry’s general secretary for human rights, Costas Papaioannou, said “The state recognizes that there are other forms of family life than that which we know as marriage.” He further added that, the prevailing laws should acclimate to contemporary affairs highlighting the fact that the children being raised by gay couples are solid social facts.

The new updated bill gives gay couples the same tax status and inheritance rights which is being enjoyed by the married non-gay couples.

During the interview, Chrysostomos appeared wise and calm. He even went to the depths of religion and gave the references from the Holy Bible.

The statements of Chrysostomos, which was issued in Greek, translates in English as the following.

“Homosexuals, like all humans, are a creation of God and they deserve the same respect and honor, and not violence and rejection. We shouldn’t forget the way Christ responded to the sinful woman, according to the Gospels, which became his word. ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’ “That canon should be our guiding principle for the way in which we should handle every person and fellow human, regardless of their otherness or differences. The church doesn’t reject people.”

Chrysostomos implied that Church, in any condition, cannot accept interference in its liturgical life and how it conducts and perceives its sacramental life.

The Vatican — the biggest Catholic monument, has an equivocal view to the equality of gay people among non gay people. The previous pope, Benedict, as reported by Times of Malta, was a harsh critic of gay rights. He went so far as visiting Spain, the first country to legalize gay marriage, and expressed his intense discomfort to the law labeling it as a “threat to future of humanity.”

Pope Francis has, however, managed not to attract any controversy on the issue by distancing himself from the topic but he has still managed to come up with a diplomatic response saying the whole issue poses a “difficult” problem for him.

Earlier this year, Polish priest father Krzystof Charamsa, a senior Vatican official, had to endure the fury of the pope when gave a press conference with his partner to declare he is gay.

In an emotional outbreak, he told the media, “To my Church, I want to say that I reject and I denounce the current atmosphere of exasperating homophobia. Open your eyes to the suffering of gay people, to their desire for love.”

The press conference on the eve of synod was judged to be very serious and irresponsible by the Vatican. Charamsa was freed from his duty and gathered polarizing opinions towards the globe, with many declaring it a blasphemy while the others were in support of Charasma for his honesty and desire for love.

Whatever the Circumstances may be, this bold statement from the Greek church which puts gay people in the same level as the normal ones is certain to be welcomed by human rights enthusiasts all over the world.

[Photo ByGreek Wikimedia]