The Orthodox Church of Ukraine will not be blessing same-sex marriages.
This was stated by the head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy, in an interview with Radio Liberty.
“We made the relevant decision at the latest local council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We even have a declaration that clearly states that we will not do this,” the metropolitan said.
Epifaniy also rejected a suggestion to take a cue from Pope Francis, who has allowed priests to bless same-sex couples.
“See, the question is very rhetorical. The Pope will sometimes state somtehing, and then others interpret that he meant something completely different. This is not a blessing. And we know that the Greek Catholic Church categorically rejected this. They stated that they do not support this and will not implement it, even if it is an appropriate decision because it is contrary to Christian teachings,” said Epifaniy.
According to the Primate, despite the unwillingness on the part of the church to approve same-sex unions, the church loves everyone, including “sinners who sometimes do evil.”
“We simply do not accept what is sin or evil. What we say is that we must call a spade a spade. That is, if it contradicts something, we talk about it. We do not support it and we cannot bless it. But we don’t reject people. That is, we must love everyone. And we do love everyone, including sinners who sometimes even do evil. We must instruct and understand them so that they follow the path that will lead everyone to salvation,” said the head of the OCU.
