Greek Orthodox response to DOMA decision

From Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver

On June 26, 2013 the United States Supreme Court ruled on two same-sex
marriage cases. The Court knew it was making history since both decisions affect
the civil administration of one ofthe most-basic human institutions.

Our Greek Orthodox Church exists in these United States, at local and national
levels, as the Body of Christ. We are grateful for the freedoms afforded us to freely
practice as well asto articulate and represent the ancient, Apostolic Christian faith.

Our Greek Orthodox faithful exist individually as citizens of this land, and we
must likewise be grateful for the personal liberties we enjoy. We are obligated by
our ancient, Apostolic Christian faith to respect the properly-legislated civil laws
and the duly-adjudicated legal decisions of our local and national governments.

These simple realities are clear to us. It is our Lord Himself Who commands
that we “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the
things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). We are to respect civil authority and to
abide by the laws of our land.

It is the Apostle Paul who expands this command of the Savior and who
prescribes our proper and healthy relationship with civil authority in saying, “I
exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be
made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

As citizens we enjoy the privilege in this American nation to freely voice our
opinions, informed by our Orthodox Christian conscience. We also enjoy the
freedom to live our lives in accordance with our Orthodox Christian conscience,
without interference from those in civil authority. These are our rights; they are
protected by the Constitution and by the laws enacted in accordance therewith.

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Belgian state set to legalise infanticide

The Belgian Federal Parliament is reportedly about to expand its controversial "right to die" policies to include access to euthanasia for some gravely ill children.

A consensus among members of the legislative body has reportedly formed in support of legislation to allow children to choose to undergo euthanasia in certain dire cases, according to a report in the Belgian daily newspaper Der Morgen, as translated by the Paris-based news agency Presseurop.

If child euthanasia is legalized in Belgium, the country would become the first in the developed world to have a law on the books allowing the practice, although the Netherlands has since 2005 not prosecuted doctors who perform euthanasia on some minors as long as the doctors act in accordance with a set of medical guidelines dubbed the Groningen Protocol.

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Turks in Germany demand censorship of textbooks referring to Armenian Genocide

Turks have demonstrated in German Dusseldorf demanding  removal of the reference to 'the genocide of Armenians perpetrated by Turks in 1915 ’ from history text-books.

According to Time, about 8 thousand signatures have been gathered in favor of the proposition

They have organized a rally in Dusseldorf trying to draw the attention to the  signatures gathered.

One of the participants of the rally Ali Soilenmezoglu stated they demand that both parties study the topic and give their response, otherwise they will continue with the rallies.

Source

Pope sets up new commission to reform Vatican Bank

In a move that observers describe as a clear signal of a desire for greater transparency and accountability, Pope Francis on Wednesday set up a new commission to investigate the activities of the Vatican bank and to report its findings directly to him.

Among other things, observers say the move indicates that Francis intends to take a personal interest in the bank as opposed to relying on others to make decisions in his name.

The commission is not empowered to govern the bank or to implement any reform measures, but to gather information and relay it to the pope in what's described as a "timely" fashion.

On background, a source with knowledge of the commission was asked Wednesday if it reflected a stance of "trust but verify" vis-à-vis assurances from the bank's present leadership about its commitment to reform.

"What it means is trust with reluctance and verify deeply," the source said.


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Full horror of modernism in Los Angeles

Once Catholic Ireland has become a ‘nation of pagans’

The Bishops of Ireland believe their flock have become a ‘nation of pagans’ according to a new report issued by the Association of Catholic Priests.

The body polled its membership to discover the true feelings of Ireland’s bishops and priests on the laity.

The Irish Examiner reports on the findings of the poll which suggest that the majority of bishops believe Irish people have succumbed to the ‘evils of materialism and consumerism’ of the Celtic Tiger era.

The ACP report also states that there is a strong view among ecclesiastical authorities that falling vocations and Mass attendance figures are a result of people ‘not having time or interest in faith’ rather than as a result of the clerical sex abuse scandals.

The ACP report claims that a substantial number of bishops and some priests believe that the problems facing the Church are not due to any difficulties in the Church or with the priesthood, but are caused by a lack of faith in the people


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