Why Has There Been Only a "Muted Orthodox Response" to Sodomia Supplicans?
Perhaps the existence of homosexual Russian Orthodox bishops and the impunity for their homosexual acs is one reason why "the new and shocking Roman Catholic decree of papal blessings for homosexual couples" has provoked little reaction in the Russian Orthodox Church, writes Archpriest Andrew Phillips on OrthodoxEngland.org.uk (2 February).
About 60% of Orthodox Christians live in Russia. Phillips, 67, a former non-practising Anglican, is currently rector of St John's Orthodox Church in his home town of Colchester, Essex. He has written several books and many articles.
A few years ago he left the Russian Orthodox Church and joined the Romanian Orthodox Church.
So far, only the Metropolitan of Budapest, Hilarion Alfeyev, has said in an interview with The American Conservative that Francis' [pseudo-] blessings make talks of unity between the Orthodox and Francis' churches impossible.
The introduction of homosexual [pseudo] marriages has already led to the end of talks between the Russian Church and certain Protestant sects.
Phillips writes: "I know perhaps 100 members of the 400-strong Russian episcopate. I know of 12 who are homosexual, both in the countries of the former USSR and in the West."
He mentions:
- the cases of Bishop Gury in Paris, who in the 1990s had an affair with a priest and was exiled to the freezing city of Magadan as punishment;
- two very young bishops, both named Ignaty (Buzin and Tarasov), both sent to monasteries, none of whom were laicised;
- and Bishop Flavian (Mitrofanov), who as a priest in London only a decade or so ago was notorious for his orgies. When he was made a bishop on his return to Russia, it caused a huge scandal in London. Russian security services discovered that his boyfriend had a drug laboratory in his flat. Defrocked, Mitrofanov fled to London, where he had previously obtained British citizenship.
According to Phillips, each of these bishops is known for "their narcissistic love of luxury, fancy houses, cars and money".
He recalls the Russian saying that when a man is ordained a priest or bishop, a demon comes to him. The non-ordained person is only subject to ordinary temptations because the demon is not too interested in him:
"However, the demon tempts a priest ten times more, and a bishop a hundred times more, as a result of the spiritual potential they have gained through ordination or consecration".
Phillips concludes with a warning: "The traitors who punish faithfulness to God will be cleansed by Divine Justice".
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