Mark Stokoe Dismissed from OCA Metropolitan Council, Midwestern Diocesan Council

Bishop Matthias (Moriak) of Chicago of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) has dismissed Mark Stokoe, editor of the OCA News website that published information leading to the forced retirement of Metropolitan Herman (Swaiko) of the OCA and the deposition of Protopresbyter Rodion Kondratick for rampant corruption, from his positions on both the OCA's Metropolitan Council and the diocesan council of the OCA's Diocese of Chicago and Midwestern America.

According to Bishop Matthias' announcement to the Metropolitan and Midwestern Diocesan Councils the dismissal was based on his belief that OCA News "is not a positive force for the Church." The dismissal comes, however, on the heels of an epistle from Bishop Matthias to his diocese on the subject of homosexuality apparently prompted by New York's recent decision to legalize gay/lesbian marriage.

Stokoe was previously dismissed from the Metropolitan Council by Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor) of the OCA for inquiring about corruption in the management of the OCA's national finances, but later elected back to that body and to the Midwestern Diocesan Council with the blessing of Archbishop Job (Osacky) of blessed memory. More here.

"Response to Myself"

Fr. Robert Arida, rector of Boston's Holy Trinity Cathedral, has released a reflection on the recent political developments in New York that is worth reading.

Moscow Pride Parade Disbanded

A pride parade in Moscow banned by Russian authorities has been disbanded by the police, with more than a dozen activists being arrested, among them well known US veteran Dan Choi. The parade was banned this year despite the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to fine Russia $40,000 for banning the parade last year. More here.

Council of Orthodox Associations Praises "High Level of Moral Requirements" in Moscow

Russia's Council of Orthodox Associations has issued a condemnation of pro-homosexuality "propaganda," in doing so praising the government of Moscow for its opposition to the protection of the rights and freedoms of the city's gays and lesbians. What the city's government has done to discourage divorce, abortion, abuse, alcoholism, and other widespread social issues in Moscow generally was not mentioned in the Council's statement on Russian morality. More (in Russian) here.

Moldovan Government Withdraws Anti-Discrimination Bill

The Moldovan government has withdrawn an anti-discrimination bill from parliamentary consideration that would have protected the country's minorities and brought it closer to association with the European Union. More here.

EU Firm on Moldovan Anti-Discrimination Law

The head of the European Union-Moldova Interparliamentary Commission has stated that Moldova's preparations for association with the EU must include the passage of a proposed anti-discrimination law protecting the country's ethnic and sexual minorities or the preparations will not be able to proceed. More here.

Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan Must Apologize for Discriminatory Remarks

The Serbian government has ruled that Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovich) of Cetinje must publicly apologize for remarks he made after last year's pride parade in Belgrade that violated Serbia's anti-discrimination laws. More here.

Moldovan Association Campaigns Against Anti-Discrimination Law

The Association "For Family" in Moldova is campaigning with the support of the Moldovan Orthodox Church against legislation being considered by the government to protect the rights of the country's homosexual minority because it believes that making it a crime to beat up and/or imprison gays and lesbians will destroy the foundations of the family in Moldova in ways that spousal abuse, alcoholism, the abandonment of children, and the moral vacuum that developed during the Soviet era could not. More here.

Antiochian Orthodox Statement on Homosexuality

Metropolitan Paul (Saliba) of Sydney of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and Oceania has released a statement on homosexuality specifically refuting the claims of John Boswell concerning past acceptance of committed gay and lesbian relationships in the Church. Although apparently for the benefit of the whole of the diocese, the statement has only been released on the diocesan website in Arabic. More here.

Copts Advised Not to Befriend Gays, Lesbians

In its 'question and answer' section the website of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States discourages its faithful from having openly homosexual friends, saying that its faithful should protect their reputations and not encourage homosexuals by being their friends. Its full statement can be found here.

The modern consensus of the Orthodox Churches regarding homosexuality is negative, but recent official statements of the Coptic Orthodox Church have been particularly harsh.

Macedonian Marriage Petition

Religious leaders in Macedonia are banding together to petition the Macedonian government to amend the national constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Their petition comes in response to criticism from the European Union regarding Macedonia's failure to outlaw discrimination against its sexual minorities. More here.

Russian Judge Protests Strasbourg Ruling

A judge of the Constitutional Court of Russia has criticized a Strasbourg ruling calling Russia's ban on pride parades in Moscow a violation of the rights of the country's sexual minorities, implying that the events were banned for their organizers protection, not to violate their freedom of life or expression. More on the judge's comments can be found here.

Much of modern Russian society is strongly homophobic as well as racist and minorities of any variety face a variety of challenges in everyday life. Some progress has been made since the collapse of the USSR, but when I studied in central Russia in late 2006 my friends from Malaysia, Kenya, and other ethnically distinct regions were afraid to go out in public alone or even in pairs for fear of being beaten or killed. The treatment of women is also atrocious, being much closer to the norms of 1950s America than 21st century Europe.

I disagree with the judge's statements in principle, but the audacity of Moscow Pride's organizers amazes me still. Russia and Russian society have a long, long way before being non-Russian will be acceptable, much less being gay or lesbian...

Frederica Mathewes-Green on Marriage Equality

Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green has recorded a remarkably open-minded podcast on the issue of marriage equality in US society (outside the Orthodox Church) and sexual issues generally that can be found here.

Putin Speaks on Russian Sexual Minorities

Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has stated that the federal govenrment has no objection to the presence of sexual minorities in the country, but that it is focusing its efforts on promoting marriage and procreation because of the severe demographic issues facing Russia. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union violent clashes have taken place between human rights activists and anti-gay protesters on numerous occasions, but the legal restrictions placed on homosexuality during the Soviet era have been repealed. More on Prime Minister Putin's statement here.

Serbian Orthodox Church Against Pride Parade in Belgrade

The recent statement of the Serbian Orthodox Church against the upcoming Pride Parade in Belgrade is a good example of how badly misrepresented the Church of Serbia has been in Western media. I don't think anyone's surprised to find out that the Patriarchate of Pech is against the normalization of homosexuality in Serbia (what a shock indeed! ;-) ), but the fact that in its statement on Pride the Serbian Orthodox Church also spoke out against those who would violently disrupt the parade in the name of Orthodoxy is both praiseworthy and more representative of the reality of the Serbian Orthodox Church today than the image of it that is common in the West. Whether the statement will actually have any effect on the parade's protesters remains to be seen unfortunately :-/.