Head of Fanar Archdiocese in US says why he baptized gay couple's children

Exarch of the Archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the United States, Archbishop Elpidophoros, explained why he baptized two children of a homosexual couple, according to in.gr.

In an interview with Greek journalist Michalis Mitzos, responding to a question about the “homophobic attacks” he “suffered” because of the baptism of the children of the gay couple, Archbishop Elpidophoros stressed that “God loves all his children and does not separate them by any criteria.” 

“Perhaps, this is not very well known, but the Church does not refuse – and in the case of a baby it cannot refuse – anyone in the holy sacrament of Baptism,” Elpidophoros assured.

According to him, the sacrament of Baptism is "the main sacrament of God's unconditional grace." “How can we exclude a child from the infinite mercy of God? Even the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece recognized this in a letter, which was ostensibly sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” said the Phanar representative.

He is sure that the "tension" among the laity and clergy of the Greek Orthodox Church over the baptism of the children of the gay couple "was caused by the fact that the Church was again called to choose between ‘to be’ and ‘to seem’."

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Archbishop Elpidophoros, head of the Phanar Archdiocese in the United States, baptized two children of a same-sex “family” during his visit to Greece. This situation caused a scandal in Greece. The Greek Church promised to file a complaint with Patriarch Bartholomew, since Archbishop Elpidophoros did not inform Metropolitan Antonios of Glyfada that the parents of the children were sodomites. Later Phanariot theologian John Chrysavgis stated that "it is time to talk about sex and gender in the Church". In turn, Metropolitan Antonios (Avramiotis) of Glyfada said that Archbishop Elpidophoros had deceived him by having baptized the children of a same-sex couple.

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