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Saturday, June 16, 2018

Questions and Answers 36 - 40


Clerical Homosexuality

Question 36: I have suspicions my priest is a practicing homosexual, though he is married to a wonderful woman. It makes me feel very uneasy. How should I deal with the situation?

Answer: [More details were revealed in the question, which I have left out to protect the identities of certain individuals.] Whether your suspicions are accurate or not, I obviously can't determine, but assuming you are correct, you should know that it is probably more common than you think for a married priest to be a homosexual, practicing or not. If it is something really bothering you, you can try confiding in another local priest or bishop, but this is unlikely to do anything to change the situation, unless your priest is participating in criminal behavior. Plus, as you yourself said, you have no proof, just a lingering suspicion. The Orthodox Church has had a major "problem" of homosexual clerics for many decades now, but it is something still very much "underground" and it is only really known about by those who "know the right people". And many of these homosexual clerics have high positions in the Church, which is why nothing is ever done about the issue unless there is criminal behavior involved. Therefore, if you can ignore it, do so, but if not, get thee to another parish. But I will say, there are some very good priests out there who it appears to me have homosexual tendencies, and unlikely practice it, and we do have saints in our Church that got ordained, unwillingly, who at one time were practicing homosexuals, so don't be too quick to judge. Canonically, however, an adulterous priest of any kind should be defrocked.


Monday, June 11, 2018

Questions and Answers 31 - 35


Suicide and Funerals

Question 31: I know that in the Orthodox Church, if mental illness can be proven, one who commits suicide can receive a funeral in the Church, however for others who commit suicide, it is prohibited. Can you explain why this is so?

Friday, June 1, 2018

Questions and Answers 26 - 30


Introducing the Bible to Children

Question 26: Is there a book you can recommend for children to introduce them to the Bible?

Answer: Yes, there are three things I would recommend for children, only because these are what introduced me to the Bible, and every parent should provide these for their children.

1. Superbook (the animated series)

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