File under: The Making of strange bedfellows.
The Moldovan Orthodox Church Synod has threatened politicians who back the law on equal rights for homosexuals with excommunication.
Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova told reporters on Friday that “the first step may be to keep such politicians from taking communion.”
The metropolitan said the June 20 meeting of the Synod had lasted for ten hours and addressed the situation with the enforcement of the law on equal rights for gays and the preparations for the visit by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who plans to visit Moldova in September.
“The Synod stated its position on the law on equal rights in the adopted declaration,” the metropolitan said, adding that the Synod already asked the authorities to make amendments to the law and to prevent propaganda of homosexuality in society on May 19.
“Unfortunately, our request was not heard and no measures were taken. We want to use another opportunity to draw people’s attention to what is happening and we are addressing them again as the Orthodox Church the second time. When we address them the third time, specific decisions will be made,” Metropolitan Vladimir said. to
The declaration posted on the website of the Moldovan Metropolia on Friday says that “the authorities have not heeded an establishment which, according to public opinion polls, enjoys the highest level of confidence in society.”
“Being ignored like this makes us draw conclusions that the Moldovan Orthodox Church and Christians, who account for 93.4% of the population, were removed from the authorities’ plans in the past few years, whereas non-traditional minorities are getting more and more support from the authorities,” the document says.
The adoption of the law on the prevention of discrimination was a condition set by the European Union for the fulfillment of the plan of actions to liberalize the visa regime between Moldova and the EU. Its adoption was postponed for a long time and the name of the law was changed gradually. In May 2012, the document was adopted as the law On Equality. The guarantees of sexual minorities’ rights are mentioned in the chapter of the law banning discrimination in the workplace.
The Moldovan Orthodox Church and the Communist Party are contesting the law.
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