"They are God's children too": the Pope encroached on the holy

It should be noted right away that the statement of Pope Francis says not about the official recognition of homosexual families, but that representatives of the LGBT community have the right to create a civil family: “Homosexuals are children of God, and they have the right to a family. Nobody should be unhappy because of this ... We must pass a law on civil union".

That is, by doing so, the Pope proposed to create civil conditions for marriage among gays, and not to marry same-sex couples.

Journalist Andrei Desnitsky writes about this:

“Well, now it will rush. People who are completely tolerant (or even enthusiastic) of theft, fornication, drunkenness, who openly preach the right of the strong to take everything from the weak and are ready to justify murder - yes, these people will long, skillfully, professionally resent Pope Francis' proposal about same-sex people unions (not marriages, note). This is the only taboo for them..."

And how he looked into the water, because the Russian Orthodox Church immediately reacted to the pope's statement:

“When we combine the word marriage with such a characteristic, with such an epithet as same-sex, we blaspheme marriage, we bring infection into our own consciousness. This cannot be done. The Russian Federation lives by law, lives by its own Constitution, ”Hieromonk Makarii said. Other statements are likely to follow.

In this regard, the experts of the Methodichka channel suggest:

“In Russia, the Constitution speaks of marriage, it does not prohibit the introduction of some other formulation into the legislation, the same same-sex“ civil union ”, which will differ slightly from“ marriage ”. The same situation was in Montenegro, also in many ways an Orthodox country. In its Constitution, marriage is also a man and a woman, and this did not prevent the legalization of same-sex relations there ... "Journalists of the" Russian Fable "are generally sure that the ROC should have made such a statement before the Pope:

“The Pope has called for the recognition of same-sex civil unions. Again, the Catholics overtook the Orthodox at the bend. But it was the ROC that should have taken this step earlier. In Historical Russia, the Orthodox Church has always treated homosexuality much more liberally than Western churches in Europe. Penalty as in adultery is not an execution at all. And there are many homosexuals in the Russian Orthodox Church. As in the Monobar club, approximately in percentage terms. In general, instead of wiping the West's nose, they are again lagging behind. Although we could compete for priorities!"

By the way, according to foreign activists of the LGBT movement, the pope’s statement was not entirely unexpected, reports the “Kremlin washerwoman”. Catholics, in general, are one of the groups of believers who accept the right to same-sex marriage. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center, 57% of US Catholics support such marriages. This trend can also be traced on a global scale: over the past five years, in addition to the United States, countries such as Ireland, Colombia, Malta, Austria legalized same-sex marriage, whose citizens are mostly Catholics. Earlier, while Francis served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he approved civil unions for homosexual couples instead of same-sex marriage. During the first months of the papacy, he said in an interview that he would not condemn priests because of their sexual orientation: "If someone is homosexual and strives for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge him?"

Then the representatives of the Vatican quickly pointed out that the Pope did not mean that priests or anyone else should indulge their homosexual inclinations, which from the standpoint of the church are a sin. Despite this, Francis has repeatedly denounced same-sex marriage during his time on the papal throne, emphasizing in many statements that the Catholic Church still considers marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He supported laws passed against equal opportunities for marriage in Slovenia and Slovakia..."

The artist and publicist Alexander Hotz, openly declaring his homosexual orientation, analyzed in detail the causes and consequences of such an act of the Pope, calling it a "revolution of values":

“Pope Francis made a real revolution in Christian dogma by supporting the right of LGBT people to live in open civil marriage and register family unions in state structures.

“Same sex people have the right to be a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family, ”he said in a statement. “Everyone should have the opportunity to start a family.” “A law on civil unions should be created. Thus, these people will also be protected by the law”, - Francis stressed.

It is necessary to explain what is the reason for the revolutionary nature of this position.

It is not only a matter of church dogma - after all, according to the teaching of the church about the “sin of Sodom” (the words of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament), homosexuality is one of the “mortal sins” and deprives a Christian of the opportunity to “enter the kingdom of heaven”.

As “First Epistle to the Corinthians” says: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malaki, nor sodomy. " (1 Cor. 6; 9).

In fact, Francis infringes upon the age-old tradition of the church and the doctrine of Paul, proposing to consider the "sodomy", officially deprived of the right to the "Kingdom of God," - "God's children".

An amazingly humane and humane gesture towards the “sinner” who, according to Francis, “has the right to a family” (in other words, to sex and same-sex love), has the right to live in “sin”, under the protection of the state, using civil rights, - including social openness and freedom to express one's feelings.

The value of love - in the eyes of the Pope - turned out to be more important than the sinfulness of "sodomy".

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The Pope places civil law above Catholic dogma, declaring that the life of a “sinner” in love with his partner (their safety and comfort) is more important than condemning “sin of Sodom”, which Francis cannot cancel (he does not have the powers of an apostle), but he can ignore the position of the century-old church.

The priority of civil rights - over the norms of the New Testament (the recognition of people's feelings as a more important value than the teaching of the church about "sodomy") is an amazing courage shown by the Pope, who (presumably) seeks to keep the Catholic Church within the framework of modern society and prevent Christianity from becoming to the “museum” of archaic “morality”.

Of course, without the struggle of the gay community for its rights, the Vatican would not have changed its anger for mercy and would not have given up homophobic rhetoric voluntarily. This is not a merit of Christianity, not its internal logic, but a consequence of pressure. Francis's statements are a living example of how an active society forces the institution of the church to “catch up” with humane norms of life.

Francis (of course) speaks only of a civil marriage, not a church one. He just agrees with the legal reality in which same-sex marriage has become a full-fledged institution in almost all EU countries, the United States and Canada.

But the demonstrative departure from Paul's “covenants” and an attempt at a different attitude to the “sin of Sodom” is, of course, a huge step from dogma to humanism.

After all, what is a civil marriage? This is an active sex life within the framework of a legal institution. Together with marriage, the Vatican - in fact - blesses gay sex.

More recently, Francis stated that a gay person can be a full-fledged Christian and a priest if he avoids "sexual practice".

But now it's about more. On acceptance of same-sex sex in family relationships.

The Pope in his feelings goes not only against the Old Testament (with his homophobic “Levite”, demanding to “exterminate” gays), but also against the New Testament, where “sodomy” is a “mortal sin”.

The next step of the Vatican in this direction (if you dream) is only the exclusion of gay orientation from the list of “sins”... (which will undoubtedly happen in this century).

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Needless to say, the effect of the exploding bomb that Francis' words produced on the darkest part of Christendom - Russian State Orthodoxy.

If for Europe we are talking about the fate of same-sex families, which already have common civil rights, an open life and freedom of assembly, then for today's Russia, Francis's position means a call for the legalization of same-sex unions, as such. They must be visible and protected.

The Pope speaks of the right to openness - and considers public displays of same-sex love - a social value worthy of state support.

This is the main and revolutionary message that caused a storm of indignation in Russia, where any LGBT openness is prohibited by the law on “propaganda”, where same-sex couples are prosecuted and threatened with the removal of children from same-sex parents.

Francis “infringed” not only on the support of LGBT families, but also declared about the value of same-sex love for the traditional society, about the right to its open manifestation.

In addition, the Pope's words sound like a call for freedom of assembly for LGBT people, which cannot but enrage not only the Russian Orthodox Church, but also the government in general.

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Liberal commentators in Russia, in my opinion, did not fully appreciate Francis's appeal, understanding it narrowly in legal terms (or, perhaps, out of the best intentions, trying not to irritate the Russian “majority”).

Ruslan Leviev writes: “Marriage, from the point of view of the state, is not“ permission and approval to sleep with such and such a person ”(as homophobes see it). This is about securing special legal rights in relation to each other. This is an opportunity not to testify against each other. This is an opportunity to represent a loved one in government agencies. These are issues of inheritance, confidentiality, and so on. This is what the institution of marriage is from the point of view of the state”...

This is still slyness. Because the provision of guarantees to a couple on behalf of the state is “approval to sleep with such and such a person” on behalf of society.

Homophobes are right in their fears: recognizing LGBT unions will mean not only “encouraging” gay sex life, giving it “social value”, but also obtaining the right to publicity (which is just prohibited by Mizulina’s “law”).

This is precisely what the obscurantists from the Russian Orthodox Church cannot forgive. This is not about “securing legal rights,” but about recognizing same-sex love as a value that does not need to be hidden from colleagues, children and the state.

Orthodox clergymen did not expect such a "blow in the back" from the Pope. Someone recently joked that “the late father Smirnov” (one of the symbols of church obscurantism) left the vale in time, not having time to learn about the words of Francis, otherwise he would have died again.

Francis's call to accept the right of LGBT people to a family and a happy sex life, because “they are children of God,” does credit to modern Christianity, which does not want to remain in the arms of the archaic and homophobic hatred of the Apostle Paul.

The values of humanism pave the way here too, forcing the church to make a choice in favor of happiness, love, understanding - and not the evil “Sodom” rhetoric that is filled with the Bible.

So, we wish Christians good luck on this humane path..."

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And, finally, journalist Irina Tumakova made an original statement on her blog, urging her father not to stop there:

“... That's the same: normal people follow the path of recognition of rights: the rights of women, the rights of blacks, the rights of Jews, the rights of homosexuals...

It will gradually come to the recognition of the rights of dogs. And those who are now, right now, shouting: "How can you put people - and dogs in the same row!" - will be on a par with those who once shouted "how can people - and dark-skinned people".

By the way, the same Catholics, even before same-sex marriages, recognized the presence of a soul in dogs. For which many thanks to them from the human rights movement of dogmen..."