Russian Church Will Never Accept Gay Marriages, Patriarch Says

(RIA Novosti – Moscow, May 21, 2013) The Russian Orthodox Church will never recognize same-sex marriages, even though it respects people’s free choice even if it is sinful, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said on Tuesday (21 May) at a meeting with the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Thorbjoern Jagland.

“If people choose such a way of life (same-sex unions), this is their right, but the responsibility of the Church is to say that this is a sin before God… (ellipsis as received) We are not concerned about the fact that this sin exists – it always has – we are worried about the fact that for the first time in the history of mankind, this sin is being justified by means of the law,” he said, commenting on a number of legislative acts on same-sex marriages being adopted in France and some other countries.

In the Patriarch’s words, the Russian Orthodox Church was “very touched by the fact that millions of French people spoke out against this bill (on same-sex marriages)”. “And we were shocked by the fact that no-one heard the opinions of these millions and this law was passed with a few votes in the senate. And French society is still uneasy,” he said.