A Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of the Church of Greece is under fire for comments he posted publicly on his blog, lashing out against gays and atheists. In an angry rant he encouraged his readers and followers to “spit on them” and “blacken them” with violence, stating that they are not humans.
Ambrosios is the Metropolitan of Kalavryta and Aigialeia— a region in north central Peloponnese and ranks as the 8th in order of hierarchy and influence in the Church’s synod, or governing body. Numerous politicians, media and public figures have called for condemnation of the bishop’s comments.
His vitriolic blog post (in Greek) followed legislation set forth by the ruling government to extend domestic partnership status to same-sex couples, granting them similar rights to those who are married.
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,” to Kathimerini’s English language edition, adding that the European Court of Justice shares this stance. Adding that that laws should adapt to the existing state of affairs, noting that the fact there are children being raised by gay couples is “a very significant social fact.” The revised bill aims to give gay couples in Greece the same tax status and inheritance rights enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.
One cartoonist in a Greek newspaper depicted the bishop blessing a thug with a Golden Dawn (Greek Neo Nazi) tattoo for beating and spitting on those who support civil unions in Greece.
Another Greek newspaper poked fun at Ambrosios, depicting him wearing a pendant with the image of Adolph Hitler and quoting words from blog saying “scum of society, the misery of homosexuality! Atheists… spit on them!” Next to the cartoon depiction of the bishop was a gun-clad jihadist saying “brother, I’ve said this before… You’re wasting your time in Greece.”
46 comments
He is a pig. It is cretins like him that have turned so many of us to gentler, kinder and more inclusive organized religions.
The Orthodox Church is dying a not-so-slow death. Instead of proselytizing in out-of-the-way third world places (Central America, really?), they should try to retain the last two enerations in Greece and the Diaspora that abandon it in droves.
God bless the Holy Orthodox church. You can not judge a whole ancient faith on the words of one person.
That’s right, it’s ancient and it’s disgusting and it’s full of hate, so yup I sure as hell can judge them primitive turds.
The Lord said not to judge. He will deal with people. Why dont you pray for the Metropolitan. Stop all the hating, you hating him is no different than what he said. Humans are weak and make foolish statements at time…unless you personally are perfect or more likely holier than thou.
But NOT one word on protecting the individuals who want to beat up gays and atheists (blacken them). In other words you’re a hater.
Would you walk by while someone was being brutalised for who they are? would you walk by if you saw a child being raped by a priest? You stated god would manage these people! That’s your reasoning for being gutless.
Another reason to judge these churches for encouraging your behavior!
You are absolutely correct Vladimir. May God bless you!
There is no Lord. I will judge as I see fit, thanks.
How Christian….NOT!
Perhaps he should consider another line of work more consistant with his bigotry and hate mongering.
He certainly does not belong at the altar or ministering to anyone.
Dropi
Metropolitan Ambrosios should be sanctioned by the Holy Synod and “retired”. To incite criminal activity surely must be against the laws of Greece, and the canons of the Church. He is to publically reprimanded.
You think the Metropolitan is scary? Wait and see what the Living God has waiting for you!
There are no such things as gods, no devils, and no hell, and your mean-spirited threats of eternal torture are simply childish and crazy. Grow up.
I’m not afraid of your evil god… it doesn’t exist.
The gays have mental illness. I will pray for them.
Your defamation against LGBT people is immoral, harmful and disgusting.
We gay people are generally not the ones who believe that the world is full of invisible, immaterial, magical creatures waging some kind of unending war, nor do we believe that two people lived in a super special garden where they ate some mystical fruit of knowledge that caused an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, but strangely absent creator to hate us until he impregnated a woman with himself and then allowed himself to die to get over it.
Now please tell me again, IVO, who is mentally ill, and if you want to do something for gay people, donate to the Ali Forney house instead of praying, which is quite literally the least you can do for anyone.
Adults with imaginary friends have mental illnesses…
Haha, your the one with the mental illness to say such a thing. Pathetic
this is not what Jesus would say
What did Jesus say about gay people? What verse in the Gospel does Jesus mention gays?
Jesus never said anything about LGBT people and our families because Jesus never existed. All religion is made up mythology.
Poor thing
Ignore such assholes.
Excellent Bishop!
Are you advocating for this immoral crazy homophobe’s incitement to violence against LGBT families?
AGREEDED
KEEP GREECE HOLY
GO AWAY GAYS
It’s like a Time Travel Machine – we can see what it was like back in the Dark Ages, with these guys in charge ! Fascinating, but rather Scary.
No wonder people burn down churches.
It is a sin to represent god in any form let alone wear black clothing and pretend you know anything about spiritual enlightenment. Go and meditate to find god for he lies within us. Poor misguided human being.
Cranky Gandalf is cranky
Dear Lord above have mercy on me a sinner. I am grateful for my strength that you have answered my prayers. I am not worthy of such strength but know now that I have it I must try to share it. Let us pray. As a Greek Orthodox Christian may God hear my continued calling for peace, joy and strength to those who might be suffering for the above article. I am supplicating another calling to you our Lord, hear my cry. I know again I am not worthy ..and will give thanks to you above. Amen, Pauline Korbos Dixon
Well neither me or anyone in my guild will be buying magical reagents from this guy again.
The Bible forbid homosexual relations
The Bible – an old book for old people. It´s the same with the Koran.
I couldn’t care less what the bible forbids. If you believe in the bible and that it forbids homosexual relations, then don’t engage in them. Stop expecting the rest of us to put any faith in and abide by your holy book.
Exactly !
It’s our faith we have the right to keep it that way
The original Roman Empire’s official Christian church was started by the evil Roman Emperor Constantine who, with his hand-picked early Christian leaders drunk on the enormous wealth and power he was giving them in exchange for their absolute loyalty to him and the Roman Empire, completely perverted what Jesus taught — in both the Church’s structure, dogma, and exactly what was included as it’s officially “sacred” writings — in order to make it the primary brainwashing and controlling arm of the Emperor and Roman Empire against the people. That required the scapegoating of innocent groups of people to divert attention away from the evils of the “Holy Roman Empire” and it’s official Christian Church. The Holy Roman Empire’s official fake-Christian Church, and all of it’s descendant and spin-off religions, have been and remain today INTRINSICALLY EVIL This includes it’s split into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian Churches when the Western Roman Empire fell, as well as Islam — from the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as Protestantism, Anglicanism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7th Day Adventists, all forms of Christian Dominionism, etc. — from the Roman Catholic Church.
Today, all those living remnants and spin-offs are greedily allying themselves together with the ever-greedier, thieving, amoral, sociopathic, narcissistic filthy-rich to take over the world in their mutual pursuit of absolute world domination and control by reconstructing a modern version of that original evil Holy Roman Empire under the control of the richest and most powerful of those filthy-rich and powerful — the new modern Roman Emperor. And, of course, that process requires the same process of scapegoating the innocent to divert the people’s attention away from the evils of this newly re-emerging Roman Empire and the coalescing together of all those evil remnants of the original Roman Christian Church into a new fake-Christian, not-at-all Holy Roman Empire.
If there is a Christ, then this new “Holy Roman Empire” and Emperor (perhaps the Koch brothers?) is the anti-Christ which Christ will have to destroy completely. If there is no Christ and all of this modern recreation of the “Holy Roman Empire” is just a self-fulfilling of the Christian Bible’s “last days” and “Armageddon” otherwise fake prophecies, then we’re all screwed because there will be no person or group — or deity or deities — to save humanity from it’s own ravenous evil cancer. The result will be the destruction of all decent human society on the way to destroying the human species and probably all life on Earth.
Wow. What a blind, judging, and incorrect statement. The Holy Roman Catholic Church is such a beautiful thing. This is a man who needs to change with the times and start accepting things as they are. No need to go bashing gods church and all beliefs different then your own due to personal issues.
Because: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself…”
Disgusting…I am even more horrified that 7.5k Liked this post.
You are all evil and believe in another mythical bullshit.
Shame on the Greek Orthodox Church .. Shame on Ambrosio
Is he afraid of God? Obviously NOT.
That is just disgusting. That is why I have stopped going to Church. I personally will never stop believing in God and loving him and teaching my grandchildren to love God but I am so over our so called Greek Ortodox Church. People who are gay are not sinners as the Church tries to preach as God made them the way they are and he loves them just the same. It shouldn’t matter what sexuality a person is as long as they are good and loving souls . Even if you want to think as the Church leaders do then they are still ignoring what is written in the Bible and think they are above God. In my eyes they are the sinners. . Here are just 3 verses he has ignored: ” Love every man in spite of his falling into sin. Never mind the sins, but remember that the foundation of the man is the same – the image of God.”
—St. John of Kronstadt
God belongs to all free beings. He is the life of all, the salvation of all —faithful and unfaithful, just and unjust, pious and impious, passionate and dispassionate, monks and laymen, wise and simple, healthy and sick, young and old —just as the effusion of light, the sight of the sun, and the changes of the seasons are for all alike; ‘for there is no respect of persons with God.’
—St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 1, Passage 3
John 7:53-8:11 Then each went to his own home. 8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (NIV
Study reincarnation and Christian spiritualism, many respectable Christians have these beliefs.
For what it’s worth, I know many Orthodox priests, a number of Bishops, and have read the writings typical of the Church over the centuries. This is NOT the kind of sentiment the Church teaches!!! The Church teaches us to concern ourselves with our OWN sins, and not those of anyone else. Our duty to others is to love them, not EVER to condemn. To do so it to take upon ourselves that which is Christ’s own right. He alone can judge anyone, and we do not presume to know how he will judge anyone. We pray for mercy for all. And concern ourselves with our own repentance. I do not know if this Metropolitan truly said these things, or if he did, why – such an issue is between himself and the Bishops and not my place to judge. But these words are not in the spirit of the Church.
This is not the official stance of the Orthodox Church. This is just one Bishop falling into sin when he says to bully people and beat them up. The Church is against homosexual activities but not against Homosexuals, it calls them to repentance just like everyone else living in sin. That bishop should be condemned for saying something like that and inciting hatred if he truly said those things.
I am Orthodox Christian, and am biologically intersex. This the kind of hate that pushes youth to suicide and it must be stopped. It is not of God and is not of the Church.
It is in our prayers, in the morning hours, that those who speak boastful words and seek after our souls to destroy them, they will go utterly down to the depths of hell, and Holy Prophet David speaks in the psalter of when he was being pursued to death, and how, if it were an enemy, he might have endured, but rather it was his familiar friend who had walked in oneness of mind with him in the House of God.
Hate and violence has no place in a life after Christ. Stand up, Church, and live the love you are called to embody!