the Orthodox Church must continue to proclaim what she has always taught: that marriage is the union between one man and one woman and the Orthodox Church in America can in no way deviate from this teaching…”Īmong the Holy Synod’s affirmations of the same teaching are the “ Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” from the 10th All-American Council, Miami, Florida, taking place from July 26-31, 1992 the “ Synodal Reaffirmation of the SCOBA statement titled ‘On the Moral Crisis in our Nation,’” issued and the synodal “ Statement concerning the June 26 US Supreme Court decision,” issued June 28, 2015. Metropolitan Tikhon, at the 18th All-American Council in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 20, 2015, in his opening address, stated that: Over the course of recent years, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America have made numerous pronouncements affirming the Orthodox Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality. Imitating our Savior, who stretched his arms wide on the Cross, we welcome with open arms all who desire the life of repentance in Christ. The Church is a hospital for the sick Our Lord has come as a physician to heal those who are ailing. That said, the Holy Synod of Bishops expresses its pastoral concern and paternal love for all who desire to come to Christ and who struggle with their passions, temptations, and besetting sins, whatever those might be. Any other form of sexual expression is by its nature disordered, and cannot be blessed by the Church in any way, whether directly or indirectly. Such is God’s plan for male and female, created in his image and likeness, from the beginning, and such remains his plan for all time. Within this marriage, sexual relations between a husband and wife are an expression of their love that has been blessed by God. As such, marriage is by this reflection monogamous and heterosexual. The Orthodox Church teaches that the union between a man and a woman in marriage reflects the union between Christ and His Church (Eph. Nonetheless, meeting under the presidency of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, the Holy Synod has issued the following statement: This matter, however, falls outside the competence of the All-American Council, since, in the words of the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America, “All matters involving doctrine, canonical order, morals, and liturgical practice” are within the competence and jurisdiction of the Holy Synod. There was a resolution proposed to affirm the Church’s stance on issues of same-sex relationships and sexual identity. Statement on same-sex relationships and sexual identity
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