Every Issue In The Church Is Pastoral

"Every Issue In The Church Is Pastoral"

Mar Nicholovos Reflects on #377- Church and Gay Relationship

Recently I had an opportunity to spend some time with His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church. Among the different matters that came up for discussion was the recent Supreme Court ruling in India regarding Section#377 of the Indian Penal Code which essentially decriminalized homosexuality. I got to pick His Grace's brain on this and Thirumeni indulged me, speaking in some detail about his thoughts regarding this subject. As we know, besides shepherding arguably one of the most vibrant Dioceses in the Church with great care, Thirumeni is a passionate reader, travels around the world and regularly meets with world leaders, in order to fulfill his different official engagements and responsibilities, including as a member of the Central Committee and Executive Committee of the of the World Council of Churches. Naturally Thirumeni has a wealth of experience and insight on contemporary matters of interest for the Church and outside, and hence it is not surprising that despite his relatively young age, is today regarded as one of the wisest counsels in the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Church. I am grateful to Thirumeni for the time spent and the insights given. 

BACKGROUND

Bishop Kallistos Ware of Diokleia, famed theologian and author of well- known books on Orthodoxy like the "The Orthodox Church" and "The Orthodox Way", a few months ago, in his foreword to the Spring\Summer issue of Wheel this year, speaks of the unfair and "heavy burden" the Orthodox Church places on homosexuals and criticizes the “defensive and reactive” manner in which the Orthodox Faith deals with homosexual sin. (https://www.wheeljournal.com/13-14-ware)

Pope Francis has opened space for a deeper, more authentic conversation about how the church can keep one foot planted in Catholic tradition without being afraid to step into the lived experiences of others. While the pope has strongly defended church teaching on marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, he prioritizes listening and personal encounter over finger-wagging denunciations.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/opinion/pope-francis-catholic-church-lgbt.html)

All States in the USA have now allowed gay marriages.

On September 6 2018, the Honorable Supreme Court of the most populous democracy in the world -- India, has decriminalized homosexuality , by striking out gay sex from the list of "unnatural offenses" in the Indian Penal Code 377.

His Grace was asked to react to these current happenings in the world around us in a freewheeling interview. Thirumeni's reactions should in no way be considered the official stand of the Church, they are only his personal opinions. 

(Thirumeni had responded a few years ago to me to a similar question, and so when I got the opportunity I thought of following up on that discussion cited here: https://sunilsramblings.blogspot.com/2012/06/gay-marriage-hg-mar-nicholovas-responds.html )

THE CHURCH’S DILEMMA

His Grace started off with a reminder that the said Law (#377) is an IPC (Indian Penal

Code) from the British times, and not a fundamental right. The Supreme Court of India has not expressed any opinion regarding the morality or ethics of the sexual act between gay persons, it has only dealt with it from the legal point of view. In that context, it is probably right in its judgement to strike down the criminalization of this act between two consenting adults (just like adult cigarette smoking is not criminalized, or adult consumption of alcohol is not criminalized even though we have moral and ethical concerns about those.)

For the Church however, the perspective is different. Even when the adults are consenting, and even when heterosexual persons are involved, the Church does not condone sexual relationships outside of marriage. That act is unacceptable as far as the Church is concerned. Also, one of the most central purposes of a marriage is procreation. According to one of the narratives in the Book of Genesis, God created the woman to be a suitable companion for man, and when we consider the physical design of the body parts of the man and woman used in the sexual act, we see that they are designed for the purpose of procreation and the fertilization of the egg. In case of union between two gay persons, this is not even a possibility. The Church therefore sees this as unnatural and has a problem in sanctifying gay relationship with marriage. 

The argument that more than the physical aspect, it is the emotional closeness that the gay couple feels towards each other does not stand because  - if not for the sexual relationship, the emotional closeness of two men or two women is quite natural, happens all the time between close friends, siblings etc. and does not define a gay relationship - it is only in the context of the sexual relationship that the issue becomes a concern. 

THE JURY IS STILL OUT

To the question whether this issue is a matter of sexual "orientation" created by God which is unchangeable, or a disease like mental illness, or a genetic disorder — this is still under debate. If you consider a pedophile, it is the same thing. They consider their sexual attraction towards children quite natural. They say they cannot alter it. They say they are made that way. But still, we do not consider such behavior as acceptable.

To the question whether the Church should institute some sort of a commission to study this issue, Thirumeni had this to say: The science around the issue, the knowledge about it - is only evolving. There may come a time when we know for sure about this one way or the other without any doubt, as to whether this is a disease which can be treated and made well or a sexual "orientation" that God created, which cannot be altered. That day is not today. We believe that the Holy Spirit guides the Church into all the truth in His time. It may not even be our generation that is destined to figure all this out. When this is figured out without doubt like in the case of the Earth being round, or the earth moving round the sun (which were also debatable topics at some points in history), at that appropriate time the Holy Spirit will also guide the Church into the most appropriate response to it. It is not proper for a commission to deliberate and pass judgement on things we do not yet fully understand. At the same time, it will be a good idea to have a commission set up to study and advise on pastoral care for these children of the church.

PASTORAL RESPONSIBILITY

Every issue in the Church has a pastoral dimension. We may not agree with them, but we still have a responsibility to provide care and love to the individual. The Scriptures have very clear verses that condemn homosexuality, but those must be read with caution, understanding the socio-political context of the Hebrews who gave us the Bible. Even in the secular world we see something as grave as murder with different lenses. Life is sacred, yet taking life is considered bravery when done in defense of one’s nation and the soldier is given bravery awards. Within the Church it is even more true that context matters. Every situation may be different. It should not be surprising that, considering the world we live in where a significant minority are people who see themselves as LGBTQ, there might be people of such inclination even within the Church. When such a person comes forward and makes certain demands, the particular situation will need to be studied and understood from different perspectives. Human life is very complex and every situation has a human context to it. So, it is best to seek help from knowledgeable people if and when such a situation arises. 

EPILOGUE

I thank Thirumeni for patiently discussing this issue very honestly. I strongly feel the Church should keep discussing such contemporary matters and prayerfully submit to the wisdom and guidance of God in these. Every generation must adapt and develop its understanding of God and the world of God by relating to, engaging with and responding to the contemporary issues it faces.  The Church should start thinking, debating and developing a response to such issues with much more seriousness than it has so far, because our children will seek real and honest answers from us and we have a responsibility to answer them. Like Thirumeni said, we may not understand the issues at hand completely yet, and we rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all dimensions of the truth regarding this, so we ought to approach the issue with all humility and honesty. Merely suppressing this issue by quoting certain Bible verses may not work anymore. May our consideration of this matter, and our response to it, always be in a manner that brings glory to God and respect for all our fellow brethren, including those belonging to the LGBTQ community.

Errors if any, in translations or paraphrasing of the original ideas are completely mine.

~ Mathew Samuel

Mathew Samuel, aged 43 years, lives in Albany, New York with his family. An Indian Orthodox Christian believer, he often writes and comments on matters concerning his faith and life. Mathew can be reached at mathew.samuel24@gmail.com