Nikšić, Montenegro, July 8, 2020
The Parliament of Montenegro “deified what is sin, what gives birth to death, and what does not give birth to life,” His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro said on Sunday, addressing the recent legalization of gay civil unions in the country.
With a 42-5 vote in Parliament on July 1, Montenegro became the first European country outside Western Europe and the EU to legalize gay civil partnerships.
The President and Prime Minister hailed the move as a great step forward for Montenegro, bringing it into modern Europe. But as the spiritual leader of the Serbian Church in Montenegro, where more than 70% of the population identifies as Orthodox, Met. Amfilohije has another message for his flock.
His Eminence served the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Basil of Ostrog in Nikšić on Sunday, where he bestowed the Golden Order of St. Peter II, the Divine Seer of Lovćen upon Miroslav Koprivica who earlier chose to quit his job rather than participate in the destruction of monastery property, as OrthoChristian reported today.
Met. Amfilohije with the Bulajićs, parents to 11. Photo: eparhija.me
The same Order was also bestowed upon Slobodanka and Rade Bulajić for their fidelity to God’s commandment to be fruitful and multiply, having given birth to 11 children, and His Eminence took the opportunity to comment on the scandalous new law as well as the law that legalized abortion in Montenegro in 2009.
Montenegrin Parliament passed a law for the legalization of infanticide “that we learned from godless Europe,” Met. Amfilohije stated, and, “They passed such a law, just as they passed an even more ungodly and anti-human law to register the so-called life partners, where the sanctity of the family is desecrated… in the name of ‘philanthropy,’ the legalization of sodomy.”
Such a law has nothing to do with the love of mankind, but in fact glorifies sin and death, Met. Amfilohije emphasized.
“This Parliament of Montenegro has deified death in recent days, deifying what is sin, what gives birth to death, and what does not give birth to life,” he said.
His Eminence has often spoke of homosexuality and LGBT propaganda in such terms. In a 2010 interview, he referred to a pride parade in Belgrade as a “dance of death.”
“Marriage is a holy institution of God, blessed by God. Only foolish people and foolish gatherings can trample on that law and legitimize something that tramples on that law, that deifies human sin, death and nothingness. The Bulajićs are witnesses for us here,” His Eminence continued, referring to the honored couple, who also have 30 grandchildren.
“Today’s government has legalized the seizures of holy sites and desecrates the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of human life… May God grant that godless Europe and those who follow the path of such a Europe might return to God’s law, return to human nature, to the original way, and to respect for human nature, the law, and the commandments of God. Is there a more beautiful blessing and greater wealth on earth than what God has blessed our Bulajićs with, what he has enriched them with?” Met. Amfilohije concluded.
His Grace Bishop Viktor of Baryshevka, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s representation to European International Organizations, also recently commented on the new Montenegrin law, emphasizing that Orthodox people will never accept gay marriage.
