Archbishop Ieronymos wants a more tolerant Church March 24, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Greece News, Politics, Religion & Faith.Tags: Church of Greece, Greece, News, Politics, Religion & Faith
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Archbishop Ieronymos yesterday distanced himself from the Holy Synod, which last week described cohabitation between unmarried couples as “prostitution,” saying the Church should be more open-minded and less moralizing.
“The Church is what Christ wants it to be, not what people want it to be,” Ieronymos told a congregation at Kalamata Cathedral. “We are giving the impression that the role of the Church is to force people to be good,” he said. Ieronymos cited the example of Saint Dionysus of Zakynthos, who reached sainthood even though he had sinned by harboring a criminal.
The Holy Synod’s statement, apparently influenced by Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki, was a reaction to government plans to introduce a cohabitation law granting the same rights to couples who live together as those who are married.
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That certainly sounds encouraging. Laws have changed to respond to the time and the needs of society, Religion would benefit from this as well. When you preach Christian beliefs to children or to people who want to know about the religion, you’d talk about love and the love and goodness of God; and not how “if you don’t follow every doctrine of appropriate sexual behaviour you’ll be looked down upon.” That’s not what religion is about, its certainly not what Jesus came to Earth for to preach to humanity about. Christianity is about being the best people we can be, loving one another, and treating others the way we would like to be treated. That comes irrespective of our gender, our race or our sexuality. Religion should transcend those issues, and focus on the love we have for each other and for God. I am very grateful to hear that perhaps the Greek Orthodox Church will be prepared to listen to the needs of the people, in building a more tolerating and accepting society; and in ensuring Religion will be a source of hope, love and acceptance for people living twenty-first century.