The tactic of targeting MPs who voted for the marriage of same-sex couples is now being followed by the top of the hierarchy of the Church of Greece. An uproar has been caused by the decision of the Diocese of Corfu to exclude the SYRIZA-PS MP from the church Christos Avlonitis and the MP of PASOK-KINAL, Dimitris Biagisbecause they advocated civil marriage equality.
Her discomfort is expressed by the leadership and executives of Koumoundourou, while Harilaou Trikoupi reacted immediately, describing this decision as “absolutely unacceptable and reprehensible”.
It is worth noting that on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the priests and deacons of the Holy Metropolis of Corfu met in a regular priestly meeting at the Spiritual Center of the Holy Metropolis, under the chairmanship of the Metropolitan of Corfu, Paxos and Diapontian Islands Nektarios. They reached a resolution against the institutionalization of marriage for same-sex couples in which they pointed out that MPs Christos Avlonitis (SYRIZA-PS) and Dimitris Biagis (PASOK-KINAL) fell into a “gross intellectual and moral slide”.
That is why, as noted in the resolution, they are called to “refrain from any church event”, while they consider that they are not allowed to receive communion of the sacraments and urge them to “repent for their impatience”. And they declare that “from now on we will not give them any honor deriving from the relationship between the State and the Church in the official events, in the parish worship gatherings and litanies and we call them to take their responsibilities”.
On the contrary, they express themselves with fervor in support of the ND Corfu MP Stefanos Ghikas about whom they say: “We wholeheartedly congratulate the MP of the ruling party of our prefecture, because he showed the attitude of an Orthodox Christian, kept his conscience intact and, although we understand that he came in a difficult position to his party, we declare that he has our support for his action not to hide by his absence, but to publicly profess his faith by voting against the law.”
On Tuesday evening, PASOK-KINAL issued a statement in which they defend the two parliamentarians who were targeted and note that actions that invest in divisions with small party goals are not consistent with the role of the Church.
The entire positioning of PASOK-KINAL is as follows:
“The announcement of the Diocese of Corfu, with which it excludes from the church the MP of PASOK-Movement of Change, Dimitris Biagis, as well as the MP of SYRIZA, Christos Avlonitis, is absolutely unacceptable and condemnable.
The state has an inescapable duty to defend human rights without exception and to legislatively guarantee the equality of all citizens.
Actions, which invest in divisions with small-party expedients and target parliamentarians for the performance of their legislative duties according to the Constitution, are obviously not consistent with the role of the Church”.
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