Russian Orthodox Church “Accepts” Homosexuality

Mexico City Lawmakers Approve Gay Marriage Bill


YOU TUBE: Watch Reuters video: Mexico City legalises gay marriage >>> | Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Head of Russian Orthodox Church Condemns Discrimination against Gays
PINK NEWS: The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has said that although homosexuality is still a sin, gay people must not be discriminated against.

Kirill met with Thorbjorn Jagland, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, a pan-European human rights body.

According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, he told Jagland: "We respect the person's free choice, including in sex relations."

Although he reiterated that the majority of religions saw homosexuality as a sin and gay marriage could not be allowed, he added: "Those who commit a sin must not be punished… And we have repeatedly spoken out against discriminating people for their nontraditional sexual orientation." >>> Jessica Geen | Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Patriarch Alexiy II, Head of Russian Orthodox Church, Dies
Patriach Alexiy II, Head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Patriarch Alexiy II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, died this morning, aged 79.

Russia's first post-Soviet Orthodox leader died at his residence outside Moscow, a church spokesman said. The cause of death was not given, although the Patriarch had been in poor health for some time and diplomats in Moscow have said that he was suffering from cancer.

Alexiy II was elected head of the Orthodox Church in 1990 and oversaw its restoration to a dominant role in Russian society thanks to open support from the Kremlin under Boris Yeltsin and in particular Vladimir Putin, the former KGB officer.

Patriarch Alexiy's links with the Kremlin were clouded by allegations that he himself had been a long-serving KGB agent codenamed "Drozdov" (the thrush), who had been awarded a "certificate of honour" for his service by the Soviet authorities in 1988. He was accused of providing information on dissident priests, and the KGB even sent him to England in 1969 on a mission with a church delegation.

As Patriarch, however, he oversaw the restoration of the Church's authority in Russia after the fall of Communism as churches were rebuilt and reopened across the country. He was seen as a unifying national figure,his moral strictures and benevolent appearance offering certainty at a time of extreme economic hardship and political upheaval.

Alexiy II also presided over a reunification ceremony at Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow last year that ended an 80-year schism with the Orthodox faithful whose families had fled Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

His death after an 18-year reign is likely to prompt an outpouring of grief in Russia, which has experienced a profound religious revival since the collapse of the Soviet Union. State television screened images from Alexiy's life, accompanied by the sound of tolling church bells, immediately after the announcement of his death. >>> Tony Halpin, Moscow | December 5, 2008

LE FIGARO: Le patriarche de l'Église orthodoxe russe est mort

Proche du premier ministre Vladimir Poutine, Alexis II avait rétabli, avec l'appui du Kremlin, l'influence de la plus grande Eglise othodoxe du monde, après 70 ans d'athéisme soviétique.

Le patriarche de Moscou et de toutes les Russies, Alexis II, chef de la plus grande église orthodoxe au monde, est décédé vendredi matin à l'âge de 79 ans dans sa résidence de Peredelkino, près de Moscou. Les raisons de son décès n'ont pas été rendues publiques par l'Eglise orthodoxe, mais le religieux souffrait depuis longtemps d'une maladie cardiaque.

«Je suis bouleversé, j'ai du mal à trouver des mots. J'éprouvais un immense respect à son égard», a déclaré le père de la Perestroïka et ex-président soviétique, Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, réagissant parmi les premiers à l'annonce de sa mort.

Proche du Premier ministre et ex-président Vladimir Poutine, Alexis II était depuis 1990 le chef de la plus grande Eglise orthodoxe au monde. Il a rétabli, avec l'appui du Kremlin, l'influence de l'Eglise orthodoxe en Russie, après 70 ans d'athéisme soviétique.

Le visage orné d'une imposante barbe blanche, la voix grave, Alexis II était un personnage très respecté des Russes et très présent au plan politique et médiatique. Il officiait à toutes les grandes liturgies à la cathédrale du Christ-Sauveur à Moscou, en présence souvent des dirigeants du pays. >>> | 5.12.2008

NZZ Online: Russisch-orthodoxer Patriarch Alexi II. Gestorben: Todesursache noch unklar - Oberhaupt von 150 Millionen Gläubigen

Das Oberhaupt der russisch-orthodoxen Kirche, der Moskauer Patriarch Alexi II, ist am Freitag im Alter von 79 Jahren gestorben. Dies teilte ein Sprecher seines Büros mit. Die Todesursache wurde zunächst nicht genannt.

(sda/afp/Reuters) Der Deutschbalte starb am Morgen in seiner Residenz nahe Moskau. Der Geistliche hatte seit einigen Jahren an Herzproblemen gelitten. Mehrere Male wurde er deshalb im Spital behandelt, unter anderem im vergangenen Jahr in der Schweiz.

Der Patriarch war für eine schrittweise Annäherung an die katholische Kirche. Dennoch sprach er sich gegen eine Reise des Papstes nach Russland aus. Er fürchtete, der Vatikan wolle dabei im Land missionieren. >>> | 5. Dezember 2008

BBC: Double Life of Russia's Patriarch

Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow. Photo courtesy of the BBC
Patriarch Alexiy II, who died on Friday, had an extraordinary career, in which he switched from suppressing the Russian Orthodox Church to being its champion.

A favourite of the KGB, he was promoted rapidly through the Church hierarchy, doing the Kremlin's bidding at a time when dissident priests were thrown into jail.

As the Church's effective foreign minister, he helped cover up the repression of Russian Christians, defending the Soviet system to the outside world.

He rose quickly through the ranks, being elected head of the Russian Orthodox Church at a crucial time, in 1990, with the Soviet Union on the path to collapse.

Surprisingly, perhaps, he seized the moment, and went on to oversee the revival and flowering of the Church, exuding moral authority and inspiring devotion among his followers.

Born free

Born Alexei Ridiger in 1929 in Estonia, which was then independent, he had some taste of freedom before the country was annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II.

But his mother was Russian, and he found he had some sympathy with the Soviet cause. >>> | December 5, 2008

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Des milliers de Russes rendent hommage à Alexis II

MOSCOU | Plus de 10 000 fidèles se sont recueillis devant la dépouille du patriarche de l'Eglise orthodoxe, exposée dans une cathédrale de la capitale.

Des milliers de fidèles se pressaient aujourd'hui pour rendre un dernier hommage au patriarche de Moscou et de toutes les Russies Alexis II. Sa dépouille était exposée dans une cathédrale de la capitale.
Plus de 10 000 fidèles se sont recueillis devant le cercueil du patriarche orthodoxe depuis qu'il a été transporté samedi soir à la cathédrale du Christ-Sauveur à Moscou. >>> AFP | Dimanche 07 Décembre 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)