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Open letter from the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups to the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, gathered at Crete, June 2016
Your All-Holiness, Holinesses, Beatitudes, Eminences and Graces,
dear Fathers, brothers and sisters, dear delegates of the Holy and Great Council,
dear Fathers, brothers and sisters, dear delegates of the Holy and Great Council,
The European Forum of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Christian Groups, an ecumenical association of more than 40
groups from across Europe, representing approximately 6,000 lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Christians, would like to take the
opportunity presented by the meeting of the Holy and Great Council of
the Orthodox Church—an event of historical importance—to draw the
attention of the leaders of the Orthodox Church to the situation of
their LGBT faithful, a situation that should concern us all.
We are not outside, we are inside
Even though LGBT people are quite often presented
as being a group external to the Orthodox Church, the European Forum of
LGBT Groups can testify that, in fact, the proportion of people of
non-traditional sexual orientation and gender identity is the same
within the Orthodox Church as it is outside. This has become clear to us
through our many activities related to Eastern Europe and thanks to the
presence of Orthodox Christians among our member groups.
As the experience of many religious communities and
contexts shows, the struggle of reconciling within oneself the
“religious” and “sexual” parts of one’s identity is one of the hardest
burdens that a believer can face, especially when one’s own community
refuses to acknowledge one’s presence or calls one an enemy.
We ask you: in your sermons and speeches,
whenever you mention LGBT persons and issues, remember that we actually
might be standing right before you! We are not an abstract concept, but
actual human beings—your children, sisters, and brothers.
Stories of sorrow
We have heard numerous stories from LGBT Orthodox
people—stories of internal conflict and pain. So often, a strong
commitment to remain in the Orthodox Church clashes with acknowledging
the truth about oneself. Some of us have accepted our sexuality, some
are only raising questions; some have decided to live according to our
conscience and “come out,” some have not taken any action and just
accepted the fact of their sexual identity.
But in so many cases, these realities are
intolerable for the Orthodox community. Many LGBT Orthodox Christians
have been thrown out of their parishes, barred from the Holy Communion,
required to undergo conversion therapy with harmful effects on their
personality, compelled to choose monastic life for which they had
neither predisposition nor vocation, or forced to enter into
heterosexual marriages and, through this, bring pain to more people
(their spouses, children, and families). Often, these experiences of
violence or imposed self-destruction are making Orthodox people angry
with God and in some cases lead them out of the Church altogether. Some
Orthodox LGBT persons, unable to hear God’s voice clearly, being
confused, drained of strength and the will to persevere, and unsupported
by their pastors, communities, and even families, take their own
lives.
The Orthodox value of humble daring, especially
when advocating and interceding for others, is pushing us forward to
urge you to reconsider the current situation of LGBT Orthodox
Christians.
We ask you: do everything you can to stop this
violence and aggression! Too often, those who shout words of hatred
claim to base them in the holy Orthodox Tradition. We plead with you,
beloved teachers and guardians of our Tradition: do not let it be
misused to bring death and destroy human lives! Let love and care
precede admonition.
Space for dialogue
We, your LGBT Orthodox children, believe that,
though all human sexuality can be a vehicle for sin, in essence human
sexuality is a gift from God, part of his good creation. We want to be
clear, therefore, that we are advocating for all people in their variety
of sexual orientations and gender identities, not for the sinful misuse
of either of these things.
We believe that Holy Scripture and the Orthodox
Tradition offer many examples of consolation and blessing for the
diverse reality of human sexuality, which includes LGBT persons and
their relations. We are aware that our understanding of Holy Scripture
and Orthodox theology as enabling the harmonious reconciliation of our
sexual and religious identities may seem audacious—but we ask you to
hear us out. We urge you to establish safe spaces for dialogue:
situations and places where those of differing views can share not only
their opinions, but also their doubts and personal stories. We want this
conversation to be a dialogue, in which both sides treat each other as
equal partners, with respect, on account of different knowledge and
experience, listening to each other and answering each other’s
questions.
We ask you for the gift of your trust. We ask
you to accept that our appeal is guided by our faith and our concern for
the good of the Church and her children. We ask you to pray and talk
with us.
Yours in Christ,
Mikhail Cherniak
On behalf of the Orthodox Working Group of the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups
Elaine Sommers and Wielie Elhorst
Co-Presidents of the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups
23 June 2016
More translations to follow
