Niomi,
Thank you for your kind comment, words of support and interest in this website. Please stay in touch.
I bid you peace,
Andriy

This is how heresies start, Andre. Our church is not the Republic of Gilead.
Bobby

Bob,
I am amazed at your deep interest in these subjects. Thank you. You have prejudged my comment, so I will only say that as Christians we should have compassion and understand that not everyone is on our timeline. If you are a Christian who confesses, you perhaps have experienced times when you did not experience the same confession with different priests. It is in my opinion unfortunate that in the contemporary Orthodox Church, every parish priest is authorized to hear confessions, a major departure from the early Church, even up until the last century, when only certain priests were authorized to hear confessions, and even fewer referred to as spiritual fathers or elders (starets or geron).
Concerning your comment/question about people calling me Father. As my full story is given on the website, I see no reason to repeat it here. I never sign any email or comment with Father, but only with Andriy. I left the active priesthood of my own accord. Although the bishops of my diocese never issued an official document about my status, I can only conclude with the very real truth that the Holy Spirit blows where it will. I do not serve as a priest or refer to myself as a priest, if the grace of ordination was removed from me by God, then I accept His will and action.
Andriy

The writer suggests that they are active members of the Church. And they follow a spiritual life with their Father. (“our church”…, “our priest”… “Orthodox Christianity is our faith”…”If you are an Orthodox Christian, you are familiar with the four prayers of exorcism”).
So presumable they also live like who they say they are. So far, so good.

How come they never confessed in the past?
How come none of the couple ever told their priest about their problems?
How come for eight months after coming out they hadn’t told their priest?
Who would honestly call that a living relationship with “our church” and ” our priest”?!

The writer actually says that their followed their own will, their own choice. Then they announced it, expecting that the Church should bend over to their own personal choices. Well, the prayer goes “THY Will be done”, not “MY Will”. It’s the exact opposite.

Now, the writer feels shocked, taken by surprise and disappointed. Well, that sounds a bit hypocritical. Nice story, won’t buy it though.

Knowing that Andre will reply in full disagreement, I have a question to Andre that needs to be clarified first:
Andre, some people call you “Fr.” in this context, and you thank them for their supportive comments. Do you consider yourself a “Father” or not? (That should be an easy “Yes” or “No”, correct?)

Bobby

Bob,
I have never met a gay man who has said that being gay is a choice. Your statement is absurd on its face. Please provide the source of your statement.
Andriy

Mic,
God made homosexuals. We are created in His image. We did not choose to be gay, anymore that you chose to be heterosexual. It is not a choice.
Andriy

Marika,
Thank you for your supportive comment. Some in the Orthodox Church are a bit afraid of science and its implications for dated interpretations of the world and people. I will make sure that the couple receive your words of support.
Andriy