What About Bishop Amvrosios ....

Greek Bishop Amvrosios Found Guilty of Homophobia and Hatred
By Nick Kampouris - Jan 28, 2019
https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/01/28/greek-bishop-amvrosios-found-guilty-of-homophobia-and-hatred/

Amvrosios, the Greek-Orthodox bishop of Kalavryta, was found guilty of abuse of ecclesiastical office and incitement to hatred by a court in Aigio on Monday.

Is it for a secular court to decide on "abuse of ecclesiastical office"? As to incitement to hatred, read on:

The northern Peloponnese bishop had advised people to spit on gays in 2015, saying ”do not go near them! Do not listen to them! Do not trust them! They are the damned members of society!”

Did he say so about all who are or are considered to be homosexual? Or did he say so about homo-liberals?

Court and reporter Kampouris seem to take the former view, but the reporter at least allows the view of the bishop to be heard:

During the trial, Amvrosios stated that he never said these things against homosexuals themselves. He claimed that his remarks were made against the politicians who voted in favor of the extension of civil partnerships to LGBT people, back in 2016.

The latter is at least understandable. Homoliberalism is a ruin, for society at large, due to encouraging not just homosexual but lots of other kinds of contraceptive practise, and often allied to the still graver evil of abortion. It is also a ruin for homosexuals who get into administrational positions where overcoming their bad propensity and making a real marriage (to someone of the opposite sex, obviously) is made extra difficult for them.

Amvrosios has sparked reactions many times, as he has described homosexual people as ”monstrosities of nature,”

It might perhaps sometimes rather be of nurture. Or even mostly.

arguing that they are ”psychologically and spiritually unwell.”

I am sorry that the flirting with psychology and psychiatry is being encouraged.

Spiritually, yes, definitely in those who want to act on their evil propensity, it is called mortal sin.

But I'd say that the heresies of Romanides promoting psychology and psychiatry are also mortally sinful. Matthew 5:22.

Note, perhaps "psychologically unwell" is however not meant as synonym of out of their minds, but simply as meaning disharmonious, in which case it would be often fairly accurate and not involve flirting with psychiatry or with Romanides. However, in that case, mentioning it is perhaps not the most necessary, except when confronted with people claiming homosexuality was a road to stability. In some cases, it could be to one, in the sense that someone living only for his own happiness and somewhat that of others here on earth could be stable.

I'm not sure if it was Bob Kane or someone else speaking of the dynamic duo saying "they are not homosexuals, but they would be a lot healthier if they were" ... I do not share that view of health. But some psychologists do. And that is why flirting with them is a bad idea. Even if you contradict them on that one.

Now, is he a freem man or is he in gaol or prison, or what has happened?

Amvrosios was sentenced to a seven-month imprisonment, with all time suspended.

All time suspended - he does not spend one day in gaol or prison, see what this means:

A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that period, and fulfills the particular conditions of the probation, the judge usually dismisses the sentence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspended_sentence

I was looking this up in Swedish wiki too, no, "Villkorlig dom" (see above) and "Villkorlig frigivning" are two different things. The latter corresponds roughly speaking to "on parole" except it does not imply the prisoner serving a sentence actually agrees to sth. In Sweden release to a kind of provisional freedom is basically automatic after 2/3. I was seeing a probation officer for about one year, from 2000 to 2001. I was told the probation as such would last five more years, to 2006. We are in 2019. Some people are treating me as still on probation. Sure, I did leave Sweden without notifying the probation officer, either at leaving or when getting settled in ... 2006, in Aix, but this would not be a valid cause for prolonging the probation period indefinitely. In English "on parole" means one has agreed to sth in order to get the conditional release, while the Swedish term is "conditional release" meaning I could go back to serve the last third (up to 2006, probably) if making a new "crime" (I don't consider my act was one), but I did not sign any paper or speak up solemnly before a judge to get this. I have therefore not actually broken any given word by leaving Sweden.

Well, arguably, a bishop should not be in this kind of humiliation, but also arguably, the guys who are supporting Amvrosios should not be judging me for having been to prison.

And as for what he said, I'd like to see full speeches with accurate translations (my Attic and Koiné is worse than rusty and my Dhimotiki is non-extant) before taking a stand on whether he was promoting private mob justice against simply homosexual people. On the level of shunning and even spitting, this is not necessarily illicit. But I can see how it could be illegal in a modern state having legalised abominations. I read Abortion in Greece and considering the context of the news I did not really need to glance at LGBT rights in Greece to know my words were not too strong.

Take this as cautiously supporting Amvrosios.

Hans Georg Lundahl
Nanterre UL
St. John of Matha
8.II.2019

In other words, end the probation./HGL