Patriarch Kirill against gay marriage and the dictatorship of free will: "Signs of
the Apocalypse"
Moscow, 22 July, 2013: The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill, has spoken
out against countries that have approved same-sex marriage - which he has termed as
"dangerous signs of the Apocalypse" - and warns about the risk of dictatorship of
free will.
On the occasion of the liturgy held on 21 July in Kazan Cathedral
on Red Square in Moscow, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church denounced the presence
of colossal forces which aim to "convince us all that the only real value is free
will, and that no-one has the right to violate this value, even when a person chooses
evil or a socially dangerous behavior". "Everything goes as long as it does not violate
the rules of the civil law," he added, recognizing how these norms "easily fool."
"In
recent times, in a number of countries the choice of sin has been approved and justified
by the law, and those who in good conscience, fight these laws imposed by a minority,
are repressed", denounced the Patriarch. This, he said, is "a dangerous sign of the
apocalypse and we must do everything to ensure that in the area of Holy Rus this
sin is never justified by the law, because that would mean that the nation has embarked
on the path of' self-destruction".
Kirill reaffirmed his approval of the law
"against gay propaganda", recently signed by President Vladimir Putin. The new law,
criticized by human rights defenders, punishes any act of "propaganda of non-traditional
sexual relations in front of minors", with fines and terms of imprisonment.
However,
the Patriarch has admitted that laws alone are not enough. "We know that any law,
even the most perfect, can not eradicate crime, corruption, evil, lies. These can
be eradicated only by the person who freely chooses good," he concluded.
In
Russia, homosexuality was considered a crime until 1993, and as a mental illness until
1999. Homophobia is widespread and recently there has been an increase in cases of
murder and homophobic violence throughout the country.(Source: AsiaNews / Agencies)