A dissenting voice from the Church of Greece has emerged amongst the harsh criticism leveled against the government’s passing of a law that grants some rights to same-sex partnerships in Greece.

Chrysostomos, the Metropolitan of Messinia, whose diocese covers southern Greece, said in an interview with a local news site TharrosNews.gr, that homosexuals, like all humans, are a creation of God and they deserve the same respect and honor— and not violence and rejection.

Chrysostomos’ statements came after another bishop of the Church, from nearby Kalavryta, Metropolitan Ambrosios issued a caustic call to his faithful to spit on and beat up gay people.

Other high ranking bishops added their own viewpoints, including Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus who claimed that the civil partnership recognition movement in Greece was the fault of a long list of dark, external forces that were seeking to break down Greek society, including the U.S. Embassy in Athens and Consulate in Thessaloniki, Jews, the Rothschilds and George Soros.

Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city used his pulpit just days before the vote in Greek parliament to suggest that “not even animals” have these tendencies.

In the interview, Chrysostomos went in depth, even using Biblical reference:

“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 went on to say, however, that what the Church cannot accept, is an interference in its liturgical life and how it conducts and perceives its sacramental life.

The Metropolitan’s complete statement in Greek follows:

“Οι ομοφυλόφιλοι, όπως όλοι οι άνθρωποι, είναι δημιουργήματα του Θεού και ισχύει και γι’ αυτούς ο αντίστοιχος σεβασμός και η τιμή, και όχι η βία και η απόρριψη. Δεν πρέπει να μας διαφεύγει ότι ο τρόπος με τον οποίο ο Χριστός αντιμετώπισε την αμαρτωλή γυναίκα της Ευαγγελικής περικοπής, χαρακτηρίστηκε από το λόγο Του, «ο αναμάρτητος πρώτος τον λίθον βαλέτω». Αυτός ο κανόνας αποτελεί τη διοικούσα γραμμή για τον τρόπο με τον οποίο θα πρέπει να συμπεριφερόμεθα προς κάθε άνθρωπο και συνάνθρωπο, ανεξάρτητα από την ετερότητα ή τη διαφορετικότητά του. Η Εκκλησία δεν απορρίπτει τα πρόσωπα, αλλά τα σέβεται στο πλαίσιο των ελεύθερων επιλογών και των δικαιωμάτων τους. Εκείνο που δεν μπορεί να αποδεχθεί η Εκκλησία είναι την κάθε μορφή συμφώνου η οποία αμαυρώνει το μυστηριακό χαρακτήρα του Γάμου και αλλοιώνει λειτουργικά το θεσμό της οικογένειας.”