Last updated on November 4th, 2022 at 04:30 am
This is an official statement of His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia, Mr. Porfirije, regarding the announced parade of European homosexuals in the capital of Serbia.
iFamNews editorial
Brothers and sisters, dear friends,
Not only in Serbia, but everywhere where the Serbian people live, the announcement that an event called Europride will be held in the capital city of Belgrade has caused huge debates, divisions, controversies and conflicts. This topic is artificially imposed on us and is completely contrary to the value system of our people, as well as our brothers and sisters of other religions and nations with whom we live. Representatives of traditional Churches and religious communities have told me this in direct conversation. Therefore, I consider the cancellation of this event correct.
The teaching of the Church expressed in the opening pages of the Bible is deeply imprinted on the souls of us, Orthodox Christians: namely, it is written that God created man as two sexes, as male and female, which means that marriage and family, from the beginning of the world until today and until the end of the world and time, is defined as the union of love between a man and a woman with their children. We fully understand the essentially justified immense concern of our people who perceive the gross promotion and imposition of policies and ideologies that aim to destroy the pillars on which our identity has been built for centuries, to make everything fragile, relative and fluid, as a deep and systematic threat to all fundamental values to which the people have been loyal for centuries, especially the sacraments of marriage and family.
For these reasons, we repeatedly stated in direct conversation with the highest representatives of the state the reasons why we think cancelling Europride is necessary and justified.
At the same time, I remind you that the Church of Christ respects the God-given freedom of every human being and is therefore against any form of violence, public branding and persecution of anyone. Evil is not cured or defeated by violence, it only multiplies in that way.
We pray to Christ the Lord that with the prayers of Saint Sava of Serbia, at a time when our Fatherland and people are faced with various trials and tribulations, He releaves us of this that is harmful and needlessly imposed on us.