ROC breaks off with Western denominations that recognise LGBT marriages

Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov). Photo: ria.ru

Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), secretary for inter-Christian relations of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR MP), said that the Russian Orthodox Church has broken off contacts with Western Christian communities that have recognized same-sex marriage, reports ria.ru.

"Christians in Europe today face a huge challenge to resist the pressure of liberal ideology and attempts to bring a liberal agenda into church life. This is particularly true for Churches which are in one way or another historically affiliated with the state. A number of Protestant congregations in the West have not withstood this test, departing from basic Christian moral principles and legitimising the most liberal phenomena concerning the complete distortion of the traditional understanding of marriage and the family. The Russian Orthodox Church categorically severed all contact with such communities. Life has shown that such communities are no longer capable of returning to traditional practices with regard to family and marriage," Hieromonk Stefan said.

The secretary of the DECR MP noted that examples of such communities include the Lutheran Churches of Sweden and Norway as well as the Episcopal Church in the United States, which belongs to the Anglican family of Churches.

As previously reported, Uganda is about to break with the Anglican Church over LGBT marriages.

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