EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). I am really at a loss of words following the daily travels of AB Elpidophoros from Athos to Salonica – where he had a barrage of meetings to show how important he was – and then to Athens. He visited with the President of Greece Mrs. Sakellaropoulou, and talked about the coming of the Evzones (Presidential Guardsmen) to the NY Independence Parade, trying to associate himself with the Greek national symbol and shake off the aura of the “Turk” that he inadvertently emits in many occasions. Just the arrogance and, above all, the megalomania (known to be the “national vice” of the Turks) that he shows on every occasion is beyond description. He met with AB Ieronymos and acted like he ranked higher than him, the leader of an autocephalous Church. And he made many statements – talking from both sides of his mouth. Every day brought a new statement about baptism and Orthodoxy, and he gave interviews: One day, GOA “faces different circumstances in America”; the other day, “we read the same Bible”; the third day, “we baptize any child regardless of how it was born”…
The interview below from Tovima.gr, one of the most respected newspapers in Athens (in the same press group as tanea.gr and in.gr), shows his desperation… My friends I had enough of commenting about Elpidophoros… I open the discussion to you… Below is the whole interview in English. To read it in Greek link here.
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I’m not a spy, I’m a man of the Church
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America was once considered a model hierarch: mild-mannered, cosmopolitan, progressive, open-minded, the spiritual descendant of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. But then shadows began to appear, certain reservations and an inexplicable climate of distrust. On the occasion of his visit to Athens, I asked if we could meet to get some answers to my questions.
You are criticized for three things, and I would like you to respond to the criticism. The first has been greatly discussed: in 2022, you baptized the children of a same-sex couple in Glyfada. Mount Athos did not receive this well. I read that you were not officially welcomed by the Holy Community on your recent visit, that the atmosphere in Karyes was cold, and so on. Was that really the case?
As to whether my visit to Mount Athos went badly, there is evidence, audiovisual material and photographs, that attest to the opposite. That is, I visited all of the five monasteries we planned to visit. I didn’t go alone, you see, but with a group of pilgrims from America, businessmen and other highly successful people who have a great respect and love for the Church, and specifically for Mount Athos. We were received in a very respectful manner and in accordance with the Athonite traditions. Which is to say, we were given the welcome that is customary for a hierarch visiting the Garden of the Holy Virgin, as we call Mount Athos. There were no difficulties or sticking points, not so much as a hint of awkwardness. As for the four individuals who signed the communiqué, they do not represent Mount Athos and the unanimity they claim was clearly false.
I am not the problem. The problem lies within the administration of Mount Athos and its services, which are in a state of confusion. Because, while some people are clearly annoyed by anything relating to same-sex couples and homosexuals in general, they have no theological grounds on which to criticize me, because they have all baptized children. It bothers them that I was photographed during the Sacrament, and that it could thus be construed that I am also giving same-sex couples my blessing. But the same could be said about the heads of Churches, let’s say the Archbishop of Athens and the Ecumenical Patriarch, who have both been photographed with, let’s say, Mr. Kasselakis, who does not conceal his sexual identity.
Did you really agree with the Archbishop of Athens, who suggests that the children of same-sex couples should grow up and then decide whether they want to be baptized?
Look, it is not my position to agree or disagree with the Archbishop of Athens. In our Church, we do not consider that there is any obstacle to baptizing a child, wherever they may come from. It is not our place to scrutinize the way a child was conceived or how it came into the world. Our role is to ensure the legality of the baptism. We need to know that those who are responsible for the child consent to the baptism, whether they are the natural parents or have legal custody. That is the legal part. The ecclesiastical part is to ensure the child has a godparent who is Orthodox and guarantees that the child will be raised within the Orthodox faith. It is unthinkable that parents should have their Orthodox piety assessed before a decision is reached on whether their child can be baptized or not. That is what the godparent is for. As long as these two conditions are met, there can be no ecclesiastical or legal obstacle to the baptism of a child. And that is why I did what I did in 2022.
When I interviewed you two years ago, you said that the question the Church should ask itself in every era is how best to embrace the world. Who we invite to the sacred banquet we call the Church. Do you think that the Church is embracing the world today with its stance on same-sex marriage?
The Church has always embraced everyone. It never sets out to examine or weigh someone’s virtue, sinfulness, or any other quality. The Church was made to save humankind and Christ sacrificed Himself and became flesh for that reason, to save us all. God broke the mold and opened the doors and came out and said; the chosen people are not only the nation I Myself created the nation of Israel; no, henceforth, everyone who accepts Me shall be chosen. So today, I think the Church is a little uneasy about what to do, because LGBT people have always existed. I mean, they didn’t suddenly appear in our modern era like aliens. It’s just that only recently have they begun to fight to be treated with dignity and respect by the rest of the community. Which means that the Church needs to find a new equilibrium. It has to find the rhythm and balance it once had by treating everyone equally, regardless of the choices they have made or any particular characteristics they may have.
I’d like to move on now to the second criticism. Which relates to your relationship with the Greek diaspora. Some circles have accused you of centralism, of being obstinate, of having a personal agenda. How would you describe your relations with the Greek community abroad?
Anyone who views the Greek community abroad from an Athenian perspective will be led astray by certain media outlets that try to push that image, that narrative. But when you live in the United States, and you talk to the institutions that operate there, you get a completely different picture. AHEPA, which is one of the best-connected and well-established Greek-American organizations in the United States, does not consider me divisive. Nor does the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, a very powerful and representative organization in the United States. Those who are trying to divide the Greek American community are the same people who would like the Archbishop to do what they tell him to. But no serious Archbishop could ever cede his responsibilities to a media outlet that aspires to steer community issues so as to reap benefits once again from Greece.
And what about you being centralist?
Quite the opposite. The decision-making process in the Archdiocese of America is the most democratic of all the provinces of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We are the only Church in the Diaspora that makes decisions by Synod. That is, we have the Synod of eight Metropolitans and the Archbishop, who presides over the Synod, and all decisions are made by that committee. What’s more, the amendment I proposed to the charter actually served to strengthen the Synod as an institution. Under the former statutes, the Synod met just twice a year, while I now convene a Synod every month.
Which brings us to the most serious criticism leveled against you: that you maintain overly-friendly relations with Turkey. And that you do so because you are angling to replace the Patriarch when he departs. “Elpidophoros has allied himself with anti-national elements”, some say. So, are you a spy for Turkey?
A spy? Of course not. I am nobody’s spy. I am a man of the Church, I am a child of the Ecumenical Patriarchate who was born and raised in Constantinople. I think I have fallen victim to the mentality that views any Greek who was not born and does not live in Greece with suspicion. This is a mentality that has existed since the liberation of the Greek state: the free Greeks of the free Greek state saw the other Greeks who lived in areas occupied by the Ottoman Empire as “Turkomerites”, which is to say not as Greek as they themselves were. And we have experienced this in Istanbul over the years, where it really does feel as though we’re caught between two clashing mindsets. On the one hand, there’s Turkey, which views us as Greek spies and potential traitors to Turkey, and on the other certain extreme circles in Greece, who see us as Turkish-speaking foreigners. Greece hurts us often, but that’s no reason to go over to the other side. No, never. Blood is thicker than water, agapete.
So do you consider your good relations with Turkey to be an advantage?
Of course. The fact that I am from Istanbul and on good terms with the country in which I have lived many years should not be seen as a flaw, but as an opportunity—we Greeks in Istanbul, with the Ecumenical Patriarch first and then the rest of us, can form a bridge, a conduit for dialog, for communicating with our largest and most powerful neighbor. If we fail to do this, we are being blind and shooting ourselves in the foot. Archbishop Athenagoras, for example, was born in the Ottoman Empire, studied in Constantinople, and then at the Theological School of Halki before becoming Archbishop of America and later Ecumenical Patriarch. And he was the man who united Hellenism and ended the national schism in America between the Venizelists and the Royalists. The great national leader and Archbishop of America, Iakovos, who was called ‘CIAkovos’ in Greece, was born in Imbros, grew up in Imbros and in Istanbul, studied at the Halki Theological School and then came to America to lead the Archdiocese, and made it great, opening the doors of the White House to Hellenism and supported Greece and Cyprus in all the national issues they faced. Why? Because he knew Turkey well. He didn’t know the country from afar. He knew it from the inside.
Do you ever regret attending the Turkish House in New York along with the so-called leader of the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus? I have the feeling it still haunts you.
I think that subsequent events vindicated me. First of all, I did not know Mr. Talat. I did not greet him; we did not speak or interact in any way. Moreover, the UN Secretary General was also present and spoke most flatteringly about Turkey and about President Erdogan. Yet, I did not see Greece breaking off diplomatic relations with him, or Cyprus questioning his legitimacy or objectivity. If anyone should find it hard to shake my hand again after my presence there, it would be the Cypriots. And yet I am on excellent terms with the Cypriots and Cypriot organizations in America, as well as with the President of Cyprus. Certain Greek circles find that hard to swallow and have become more Cypriot than the Cypriots. And, of course, the Prime Minister of Greece also visited the Turkish House in New York to meet with the Turkish President. And he was right to do so.
I shall ask you straight out: are your relations with the government and the Prime Minister harmonious?
I have always maintained excellent relations with the Prime Minister and his family. A serious attempt was made to undermine that relationship, but it failed and came to nothing. It left a certain bitterness behind, but that has nothing to do with the Prime Minister himself; it is simply the bitter taste that’s left in the mouth when people try to spoil an old, cordial, sincere and selfless friendship, because both of us serve the nation from our respective positions.
You are in close touch with the American reality. Who will be elected president in November?
That’s the million dollar question! May the best man win, I say. But whoever he is, I hope and pray he does not stir up political passions. Because the turmoil of recent years has been unprecedented. The divisiveness must stop.
This pathetic and totally manipulative “Damage Control Tour” is
orchestrated by Elpidoforos’ PR Team!
AB never apologizes — never speaks truth of his sinister ties;
he really believes we the faithful are that stupid.
Anathema!
I don’t know any Greek Orthodox that trusts this Archbishop Elpidophoros and many signed petition to depose him so what will force him to resign?
It’s been one abomination after the other & he’s spoiled by the spineless patriarchate.
I think its a very enlightening interview. The AB has lost many chances to clarify his actions, by speaking the truth at the time that a controversy is created. Such as with the baptism. I always believed that the baptism itself is not anti-cononical. What the parents do in bed has no effect on the children. The picture that was taken afterwards, surrounded by two very gay looking men, plus a woman with her midrif showing, was scandalizing. At the time, the meeting between Kaselakis and the patriarch and Ieronimos hadn’t happened. So, he couldn’t bring up a precedent, as he did now, after the meeting happened. However, Kaselakis met with the hierarchs as a politician of the second largest political party of Greece. And of course, Kaselakis is not dressed in a gay manner as the other two are.
Also, at the time of the baptism, he unleashed the archdeacon Chrysavgis to speak for him and he really made things worse, by a denigrating letter towards the faithful. Chrysavgis by the way was residing in Maine, with no parish and far away from the archdiocese and he was employed as an “advisor”. My guess is that he was drawing a salary, while doing nothing.
But the most egregious part of the baptism is that I have not heard of Elpidoforos baptizing children of poor families. If anyone can afford to fly him to Greece, he”ll perform the sacrament. And can anyone explain why he’s always traveling? Isn’t there enough work to keep him busy in America?
Lambro,
The validity of the baptism ceremony was never questioned, not even by Mt. Athos. The Church dilemma here is that two individuals that clearly “live outside of the Church” have presented a child to be baptized in the Church. The Church knows very well that the child will be “indoctrinated” by the “guardians” to learn and believe things that are “anti-Orthodox”.
This situation doesn’t differ at all from one where pagans, muslims, buddhists, etc were to present their own children for baptism, while professing that they will teach the exact things to the child that the child (& sponsor) are about to renounce during the service… (“do you renounce satan with all his pomp, etc..?”)
In short, the “parents” are not even living a life “in the Church”, so the Church has no obligation to baptize the children that they are raising, when there is such a risk that those children will leave Orthodoxy right after they are baptized, being led by “non-Orthodox” guardians…this situation results in a mockery of the Mystery of Baptism.
That’s this issue here.
Very well said, Markos… Thank you for helping out with moderating…
Markos I think you are mostly right but I would put an even finer point on it than that. To me the issue is not so much that two pro living outside the Church presented a child for baptism. I could accept that especially if it were done looking only to the best interests and spirit protection of the child. None of us are perfect and all of us are sinners. So I would not expect the Church to look at anyone’s lives for holiness as a condition of baptizing a precious child.
Here what happened was much worse. Rather than understanding their irregular position in the Church under its ancient canons, these people came with hubris and arrogance and spit in the face of Church tradition. Elpidophoros’ great wrong was that rather than requiring a simple ceremony focusing on the Sacrament, he was blinded by the money of the family to be a willing participant- a useful idiot – not just in the Sacrament but in the public glorifying of the parents’ relationship as well. That is what the fury is about. Not a simple baptism of a child no matter who the parents.
Adding insult to injury, the economia of even a simple private baptism in this regard would mostly likely never have been provided to a poor family at all. But because they are rich and powerful Elpidophoros went hog wild to give them their big show, spitting in the face of the Church and Sacred Tradition.
Plain and simple Elpidophoros needs to be deposed and leave. If he stays, the canons and Sacred Tradition mean nothing. And the Church is just the Greek Country Club, run by and for those who can pay the dues. God help us!!
Good point Lambros that Elpidoktonos would never waste time baptizing kids of the poor!
I am glad you draw attention to the salient fact that if those children were of working class family level do you think he would even give them the time of day? The GOA operates as a organ playing country club for the rich .
I personally deplore the fanatics on both SIDES as equally obsessed and unchristian.
As a psychologist I see that being gay is not something people chose but that they find they are and with all the struggle it entails to understand.
Neither the ABCDDEC ET AL fanatics who are ignorant of science ,nor the Sodom and Gomorrah fundamentalist fruit cakes loonies care truly about the individual as Christ did always. Where is Christ?
As in so much of our discourse He seems totally lacking.
Have yr tantrums and rants on BOTH SIDES , and hang yr collective heads in shame.
Nikos Stone:
so what if gays are “born that way?”…
Well since majority of us are born normal heterosexuals ~ yet when some enter path of monasticism they live in chastity – so why can’t homosexuals give up sex?
Especially Hierarchs who know they’re expected to live in holy chastity?
Niko,
You may be a psychologist, and that’s great, but the notion that someone is “born that way” implies that “God made him that way”, which also implies that “he is not responsible for his sin”….that in turn is contrary to Orthodox teaching, it is heretical in fact, so we can’t accept that, and your science really needs to re-examine this line of thought…remember that your own discipline only recently stopped treating this as a “condition”…the jury is out if this was correct or not…
As a counter-consideration, we agree that everyone has sins and passions to deal with…one person steals, one person lies, another person hates…either way, just because we have a propensity for a particular sin doesn’t mean we have to act it out and make things worse… What’s next, will the Psych community say that “murderers were born to kill, so they can’t be responsible anymore”?
Even the most skilled politicians can learn evasive, duplicitous, and diversional rhetoric techniques from this man, for sure…
It’s useless to dissect the entire list of responses, but just as a simple example of “diversional rhetoric”, we can examine the following Elpidophoros excerpt from above:
—- “It is unthinkable that parents should have their Orthodox piety assessed before a decision is reached on whether their child can be baptized or not. That is what the godparent is for. ”
And yet, the official GOARCH guidelines to all parishes under GOARCH say the following:
…The Special Regulations and Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America defines membership as the following:
“Any person, eighteen years of age or older, who was baptized according to the rites of the Church,
or who was received into the Church through chrismation, who lives according to the faith and canons
of the Church, who has met his or her stewardship obligation (part of which is to meet his or her
stewardship financial obligation to the Parish) and abides by the regulations herein and the by-laws of
the parish, except that a person under twenty-one shall not serve on the parish council when such
service is contrary to local law.”
Ok…so ignoring for a moment the abomination that they have inserted the “donation audit” as part of of the same gospel teaching of “δωρεαν ελαβετε..”, we should focus on the fact that GOARCH considers a member of the Church someone who
….”who lives according to the faith and canons
of the Church…”
Given that in the United States in theory no sacrament is offered by GOARCH parish priests to those who are not “members” of a Parish, this means that Elpidophoros has just negated and violated his own Archdiocese’s bylaws with his statement…was this perhaps the reason he had to go Glyfada to perform a baptism on behalf of “unqualified members” who did NOT live according to the faith and canons of the Church?..”
Either way, it’s unfortunate the reporter didn’t have this GOARCH rule on hand to expose Elpidophoros’ duplicitous comments on the spot…
He is Finished ………!
What demon possession is Black Bart to sell out Orthodoxy with his buddy hillbilly Pope Francis for 30 coins?
No wonder Phanar false prophets need police around~ they’re guilty
Note how he appears ro be laying the groundwork for an evolving view of the alphabet people, with the chuch having to find a “new equilibrium”. And, to do this “regardless of the choices they have made.” Blessings of gay couples next?
“LGBT people have always existed. I mean, they didn’t suddenly appear in our modern era like aliens. It’s just that only recently have they begun to fight to be treated with dignity and respect by the rest of the community. Which means that the Church needs to find a new equilibrium. It has to find the rhythm and balance it once had by treating everyone equally, regardless of the choices they have made or any particular characteristics they may have.”
Yes Christos…LGBT has been around and hiding in a Closet they imposed on themselves, not the Christian community ! While growing up I don’t recall anybody I knew was Gay , because I never even thought about it!
I could care less about The LGBQT community , as I could care less about the Jewish community! An as far as the general populist …the only thing they care about is how much money you can bring to the Table that can benefit them in living ! Do you really believe …that the general public is Anti Semetic! No they are not!
I have never seen in my entire lifetime one act of Anti -Semitism! And the same with LGQBT! What I have heard, is that .. most Christians , Muslims and other religious Denomination do not accept ,nor do they support there style of life …and feel that it is something that they do not want their children to be associated with , and undermines there religious beliefs which does not support their lifestyle ! The difference today they are selling “Their label” for equal rights and freedoms , that has neve been denied to them to promote their lifestyle to the Children of Christian families and their religion! What they want is legitimacy and they know they can only get that from God and the Orthodox Church, which is the foundation for the Nationlistic Governments of the World like Russia! Its interesting , I don’t recall Atheist claiming Huamn rights offenses by the Christian populist of America or the world! Do they have “Athiest Pride day marches! I have more respect for athiest, than the LGQBT , TRANSGENDR cults , because they understand , that they have chosen not to beleive in Gods laws and style of living , and no Christian i know h could care less , and know Atheist do not sell their label publically, and use human rights oppression to promote there label in the Christian Churches of the world ….
Michael 1 – just to clarify, the paragraph about LGBT at the bottom of my comment was a direct quote from the Archbishop.
Archbishop Elpidophoros states he is not he problem; that the problem lies with the adm of Mount Athos; their state of confusion on homosexuality/and/baptismal of of their children; and theres no theological grounds to criticize you. Of course there is…What did you learn in “theology “school about Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed every form of life because of adultery and homosexuality including the children so they do NOT reproduce homosexuality! (now called the Dead Sea) And YOU have your ego nerve; to say that the church has no grounds to criticize you? The church is God! you idolatry and hypocrite! You are enabling this situation that there is nothing wrong ……either because you are a homosexual yourself and NOT to mention how much $$$ you got paid to do this and keep enforcing it; along with all your other affiliates… Moron Prime Mistotakis; Patr Bartholomew ….among others as well.. Drope sas! ehete poulise tin psihi sas ston Satana and the Masons! for the power and control and the destruction of our Greek Faith and the Orthodoxia which our Churches and Monastaries uphold. Just like you approved during Covid -19 to distribute Holy Communion with a single use of spoons! You fool; obviously you dont know how powerful the Holy Communion Sacrament is! and it has NEVER EVER killed anyone! Not to mention how many cancerous, aids/HIV, hepatitis and other deadly illnesses patients have received it and then the priest consumes it all. You should remove your self from this position! because you are not educated nor enlightened to lead us! Shame on YOU!
Archdeacon John Chryssavgis proved to be one shallow weasel in aftermath of Elpi baptism disaster …
Oh now I remember! Quite funny, Monomakhos blog dubbed the so called Reverend Chryssavgis “the man at the circus who cleans up after the elephants”…
really, he’s just another pompous, lefty Oxford academic in clergy robes trying to cover Elpi’s mess; he writes in his “Tempest Over A Baptism In Greece” like he knows better than holy gospel; like he knows better than Orthodox saints who beheld visions of Christ – while only ‘vision’ homeboy Chryssavgis will ever see is Emperor Elpidoforos who has no clothes on!
Fact remains:
Bishop Glyfada of Greece was left in the dark about the two gays before baptism and the hubris of these rich homosexuals to admit they’re not even raising those surrogate born kids as Orthodox!
Then flaky John Chryssavgis defensively attacks the faithful asking:
“Should those prone to deprecating the lifestyles of others throw stones”?
What??
Hey pal, Nobody Throws Stones At Gays — it’s actually gays and deviants doing all the attacks… attacking ppl of faith/holy church/children in school/
universities and bakeries so we all bow down to them.
SORRY – we only answer to a higher authority than your woke CNN or latest golden calf from secular powers.
He then asks the PC question:
“Could it be time for a frank discussion on sex and gender in the church?”
Unbelievable –
Church is holiness – that means something set apart – spirituality’s ethos is to direct our lower nature upwards toward Godhead… not down in the gutter of more mundane mediocrity.
Jesus gospel is about Self Mastery.
We don’t need to regurgitate the filth of 24/7 Godless media when we are in church, the place of holy of holies.
https://religionnews.com/category/opinion
Elpidoforos: “Could it be time for a frank discussion on sex and gender in the church?”
What parts of Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Romans 1:26-27;
1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:9-10 are not frank and clear?
Au contraire Mr. Elpidophoros,
A friend showed me this deceitful interview & I know plenty women of
Ladies of Philoptochos Society.
We absolutely do not like you forcing heretical, liberal politics on our Orthodox Church.
You shrewdly know we’ll never confront you please resign.
Yes Thank you I agree and so many many others…These gays its all about them and their needs and feelings… NO body like a sincere spiritual father ever had a conversation/confession and explain to them why its wrong! and furthermore how can a homo have ANY maternal instincts raising children? buts is their feelings etc… Well they should of adopted pets/dogs/cats etc for emotional comfort; they are great at that! And they are not raising them in the eyes of God in Church, because it is NOT exceptable! All they are doing like you mentioned is pushing their agenda and needs to our Church and society so they can be acknowledged. NEVER in the Church! and these fools/hypocrites that wear the clothes are just the same as the Pope/Vatican that has overlooked and covering up for them by transfering them somewhere else through out the years their priests on sexual abuse all these years and now its being stripped and all exposed thats its filth and loosing their Catholicism!! And now these Greeks are trying to enforce it upon us as well.What is darkness ALWAYS prevails in the LIGHT which is God; and he will destroy this type of darkness! All these Greek priests, Arch, Patri, politicians etc should be removed and get out of our Churches and our society! We have enough issues esp in Greece with poverty, migrants, abortions , drugs etc… and to accept this? Drope tous!
To add Christ always met people where they were ,in the life they had . But what did He say to them always? Carry on as you please it’s yr freedom ? NO HE SAID GO AND SIN. NO MORE . That is the bit of the Christian conversation that elpidoktonos and his ilk ignore.
Exactly Niko –
Jesus told adulteress to
Go & Sin No More =
& that command of Jesus is the massive difference that liberals censor & defy – God’s laws!
For simpleton liberals nothing is evil
“I am not the problem.” Dude, you created the problem and now that you’re being called on it, you project it onto the administration of MOUNT ATHOS? Greeks in America who hold the purse strings have created a monster. Good luck, GOA.
Archbishop is effeminate lemon
but church proper needs masculine
leadership.
Bartholomew, did he go senile
picking a Turk Spy for America?
I am afraid senility may be the least of his problems.
I want to caution everyone to not mock our Holy Scriptures, Holy Tradition and Holy Canons… Our Church is the Church of all the living and the dead. Those that don’t like the Holy Traditions and the Holy Canons and the Holy Scriptures of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church are welcome to found their own Protestant pseudoGreek, pseudoChristian English speaking Congregation. Yes our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ embraced the sinners BUT NOT the sin. When someone UNAPOLOGETICALLY insists on their sin, they set themselves out of the Church. Jesus Christ does not discriminate among sinners and doesn’t give some preference over others. The issue of child trafficking and trade and paedophilia which unfortunately is a dime qua non staple of the so called homosexual lifestyle aside the teachings and practice of our Church is clear and unequivocal. The Church is NOT social club nor a bordello where everything goes and sin is idolized. Unapologetic sinners are refused communion and are refused participation in other sacraments of the Church. Unfortunately Schismatophoros really showed the utmost disrespect and contempt to the sacrament of baptism and his unapologetic persistence to promote and exalt sin and sinful behavior makes him UNWORTHY and ANAXIOS. THERE ARE NO TWO WORDS ABOUT IT. He also showed similar contempt to the sacraments of Marriage as well but for brevity let me not expand on this. He pretends his motives are “love” but where is his love for his faithful Congregations where is his love for our Church on the foundation of which and the billions of departed heavens members he pisses on? We love the sinner but we don’t condone sin and we abhor unapologetically sinful behavior. So Schismatophoros doesn’t love the sinners by enticing and sanctioning sinful acts and by being blasphemous and disrespectful to our Holy Church.