November 1, 2025 

Dogs, yes! Gays, no!

A very dear friend of mine, a librarian, has dedicated much of her limited free time and endless care to raising guide dogs for veterans, the blind, as well as others needing loving support and companionship in their daily lives. She was instrumental in making sure that future guide service dogs were integrated into all parts of society, to better serve the humans they would be attending to. One of the numerous ways that she accomplished this was to bring the dogs to the school library to interact with the students and teachers. Having the dogs at school was very popular with students during stressful times, especially exam time, when petting the puppies brought their anxiety levels down considerably. As a dog lover, I relished popping in her office at least once a day to play with the dog of the day. To receive unconditional love from the dogs, especially during difficult days, was just fantastic.

For these reasons, I was pleasantly struck by the recent official communique of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese announcing that they were “adopting a policy regarding service animals in our churches as a first step to ensuring all parishes are accessible to those suffering from physical disabilities.”[1] The official episcopal decision, posted September 14, 2025, is quite welcome and noteworthy but also raises a few questions. The statement indicates that this is a first step, leaving me speculating if other steps regarding additional ways to welcome those “suffering” will be or were considered to hopefully be included later. Also, the directive specifically only mentions physical disabilities, and I wonder about other “disabilities” such as emotional or mental. Despite these questions, any step to ensure that all people are welcomed into the house of the Lord to worship Christ is certainly a holy task. Interestingly, the bishops at this meeting also had the time and energy to decide that “traditional folk dance festivals” should be advanced to a “national ministry.”[2] A worthy endeavor, I am sure.

While greeting the decision and official step to making parish churches more accessible and welcoming (queue traditional dance music) to those with certain disabilities, one searches in vain for a sincere, open welcome to persons who have not traditionally been welcomed in Orthodox Churches, namely those of us who are LGBTQ. The last “official” statement from the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA, to which the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese belongs, was over ten years ago, in 2015, after the US Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriages.[3] Using terms such as “strongly disagree, an invention, immoral, unjust, harm, and threaten”, the bishops leave no room for any meaningful acceptance of LGBTQ Orthodox, or those LGBTQ interested in the Orthodox Church, or even the families, friends, and allies of the LGBTQ Orthodox faithful.[4] And yet, in the last 10 years, Greece, as a predominantly Orthodox country, has legally adopted same-sex marriage[5], and war-torn Ukraine is openly discussing allowing for same-sex marriage.[6] And while Ecclesiastical decisions should never be decided by civil governments alone, it should concern the bishops that in nearly 40 countries, same-sex marriage is now legal,[7] and certainly in many of those countries, there is a considerable number of Orthodox Christians who voted for or are in support of these laws. Are the bishops deaf to what their own faithful are experiencing, living, or supporting? And while it is heartening to read about a greater understanding and action to meet the needs of those with physical disabilities by welcoming dogs into Orthodox churches, where is the open and honest conversation, dialogue, thought, and actions with the bishops concerning those Orthodox Christians who are gay or lesbian or transgender, those in same-sex, state-sanctioned marriages, or those same-sex couples raising children?

Acceptance of LGBTQ faithful as full members of the Orthodox Church has become the third rail in the Church. Certainly, the bishops have ignored other Scriptural instructions and Canon Law directives, and found “coverage”, economia, under the salvific ideas of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. Condemnation of usury,[8] acceptance of slavery[9], requiring women to cover their heads in church,[10] and requiring candidates for the episcopacy to know the entire Psalter by heart,[11] are just a very few of the Scriptural ordinances and canon laws that are openly ignored by bishops and priests of the Orthodox Church. And so this begs the question – while it takes a commendable step to help those who need the assistance of dogs, how is the Orthodox Church treating its LGBTQ faithful? The love and mercy of Christ need to be the rule.

[1] https://www.goarch.org/-/communiqu%C3%A9-of-the-holy-eparchial-synod-september-14-2025

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.goarch.org/-/assembly-of-bishops-issues-release-in-response-to-supreme-court-decision?_com_liferay_asset_publisher_web_portlet_AssetPublisherPortlet_INSTANCE_7NCuYdJYMvgG_viewSingleAsset=true

[4] The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) Synod of Bishops issued a statement in 2022, which uses ever stronger language concerning even openly discussing LGBTQ individuals and same-sex relationships: disordered, gangrenous, threatening, and scandalous. https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/statements/holy-synod/holy-synod-issues-statement-on-same-sex-relationships-and-sexual-identity

[5] https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/legal-recognition-of-a-ukrainian-same-sex-couple-as-a-married-relationship/

[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62134804

[7] https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/same-sex-marriage-around-the-world/

Other countries have given same-sex relationships legal status, other than marriage.

[8] Exodus 22:25

[9] Ephesians 6:5-8

[10] I Corinthians 11:4-5

[11] Second council of Nicaea 787