As Catholic Sex Abe Crisis Deepens, Conservative Circl Blame Gay Prits : NPR

Contents:

• ROMANIAN ORTHODOX 'PRITS' STRIP OFF FOR GAY LENDAR THEY SAY WILL BRG 'HOPE, JOY AND FORT'
• WHY DID SO MANY GAY MEN ENTER THE PRITHOOD THE 20TH CENTURY?
• FIRST GREEK ORTHODOX BAPTISM FOR CHILD OF GAY COUPLE GREECE
• AS CATHOLIC SEX ABE CRISIS DEEPENS, CONSERVATIVE CIRCL BLAME GAY PRITS

ROMANIAN ORTHODOX 'PRITS' STRIP OFF FOR GAY LENDAR THEY SAY WILL BRG 'HOPE, JOY AND FORT'

Romanian Orthodox 2014 lendar creators say pays tribute to gay marriageShots clu nu mols readg bible and posg on bed clutchg some rosary beads Published: 12:14 BST, 7 January 2014 | Updated: 07:53 BST, 8 January 2014 Advertisement A new lendar created by Romanian Orthodox Christians featurg mcular male mols steamy pos has been men behd the Romanian Orthodox 2014 lendar say pays tribute to gay marriage, which, they say, 'is the news all around the world and very timely'. The mols are gay-iendly members 'of the Orthodox Church' who have chosen to strip down for the sexy shoot 'bee they believe - like - eedom of speech, tolerance, equaly and human rights.

The men behd the Romanian Orthodox 2014 lendar say pays tribute to gay marriage, which, they say, 'is the news all around the world and very timely' 'A great gift for people who like illtratns, artwork, artistic photography, and ntroversial art their r, ' say the makers of the lendar The creative group was tablished 2012 and is the brachild of a group posed mostly of Orthodox eastern Europeans of the former munist regn Wrg on their webse they say their primary goal is to 'monstrate that Orthodox believers do not all f the backward, hibound stereotype portrayed the prs but rather are regular people wh passns, preferenc, terts and sir. 'At the same time, the lendar tak an ironic approach to the Orthodox Church self, which recent years has baeen embroiled rptn sndals, artist reprsn, gay sex ver-ups, outrageo behavr and homophobia, ' they add.

Wh bold lors, homoerotic unrton, OC’s artwork has drawn parisons to Amerin photographer David LaChapelle and French artists Pierre & ssns and stg took place the predomantly Orthodox area of Eastern Europe.

WHY DID SO MANY GAY MEN ENTER THE PRITHOOD THE 20TH CENTURY?

Fally, based on this historic pastoral approach, I will propose some general guil I believe we pastors should nsir alg wh homosexual parishners.

It will be apparent that our approach to alg wh heterosexual ss the Church is que different om our approach to homosexual ss.

Followg that discsn, I will outle how we generally treat homosexual ss the Church, which is primarily not pastoral.

FIRST GREEK ORTHODOX BAPTISM FOR CHILD OF GAY COUPLE GREECE

I will also argue that we pastors should rensir our approach towards homosexual dividuals orr to be more pastoral and to help them work out their salvatn wh the Church. Yet, many pastors believe this is the only approach we n offer to homosexuals who wish to participate the life of the Church. Yet, we do fd necsary to ntually repeat that we thk homosexualy is a s and we are opposed to gay marriage.

And then we wonr why we have so few homosexuals our pews or why our young children (who notice the hypocrisy) end up leavg our church and/or pla about our lack of acceptance of homosexuals. If we held heterosexuals to the same standard to which we hold homosexuals, then my munn le would be very short on Sundays. Moreover, if our Church released statements and preached as regularly agast the ss as we do agast homosexualy, then our church would also be much smaller as people who stggle wh the ss (aga, the vast majory of the populatn) would bee overly burned and sponnt (and probably angry), and would leave.

So, even wh the knowledge that they n once aga—and soon enter to lawful sexual relatns (unlike homosexuals, who we often advise n never enter sexual relatns)— we normally allow people this posn to ntue fully the sacramental life of the Church. So, legally, divorce and remarriage is ntra-Scripture (an important pot to remember as we turn below to pastorg homosexual parishners).

AS CATHOLIC SEX ABE CRISIS DEEPENS, CONSERVATIVE CIRCL BLAME GAY PRITS

I brg up all of the suatns of how we al wh heterosexual sexual ss the Church bee this ntext, I believe, is necsary to rm on how we should al wh homosexuals the Church. Anyone faiar wh our Church and how we al wh homosexualy n already see where I am gog, and if they have “ey to see and ears to hear” n unrstand the hypocrisy I am potg out.

Our Church has historilly spoken loudly and clearly (through non law and other historil pronouncements) that the followg sexual acts are sful: masturbatn, fornitn, divorce, adultery, and homosexual acts. Yet, all of the s—except wh rpect to homosexualy—we act a pastoral manner, bendg over backwards to rtore or keep sners volved the life of the Church, to help them work as closely towards the ial as possible, and to ensure that even if they fall short of the ial terms of sexual pury, they ntue to strive towards lovg their neighbor, rg for the poor and needy, and beg volved the muny of sners we ll the Church. It is on this basis, and this basis alone, that I believe we pastors the Orthodox Church should rensir our approach to homosexualy.

” I am sayg we should be rmed by the historil and pastoral practice of the Church alg wh other sexual ss to help al pastorally today wh homosexual parishners. In morn tim, for some odd reason—perhaps bee homosexuals are by far a mory, and so their clatns are so different om the realy most of face as heterosexuals—we group homosexualy a class of s own. Wh rpect to (nsensual) homosexual acts, the only people volved and impacted are those who choose to participate.

Aga, is wh all of this ntext md that I implore pastors the Orthodox Church to nsir a more pastoral approach towards homosexuals who wish to be members of our Church.