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Moscow Patriarchate representative in Europe predicts a gradual severance of relations among Christians
Moscow, March 16, Interfax - The Orthodox are appalled at the attempts of the Protestants to force discussion of homosexualism on the World Council of Churches (WCC), representative of the Moscow Patriarchate to the European Institutions bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria said.
'Attempts of certain Protestant churches to force discussion of sexual minorities on the WCC have provoked a particular indignation of the Orthodox', the hierarch said in his interview to the web-site of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
According to him, traditional views on homosexualism as sin have been 'subjected to revision' in certain Protestant churches recently. He remarked that the Episcopal church in the USA has recently ordained an open homosexual as bishop, while the Church of Sweden introduced an office of blessing the unisexual marriages.
The Moscow Patriarchate has already suspended the dialogue with the Episcopal Church of the USA and the Church of Sweden. That shows the interchristian community 'going to pieces', bishop Hilarion added.
'It is hardly doubtful that other protestant churches of the North would follow the path of the American Episcopals and the Swedish Lutherans, and that the relations would be broken off on regular basis in the nearest future', the bishop believes.
He said that in this case the WCC, which is the union of the Protestants and the Orthodox, once 'created with such a difficulty', would not bear the burden of stockpiling differences and the 'ecumenical ship' would sink.
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