God’s Word and the Priest’s Deed
The Russian Orthodox Church and Homosexuality
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The Russian Orthodox Church seems to play an important role in the homophobic campaign that the Putin regime in Russia has sparked. But this is not the case. The church has no influence on society; it is merely a compliant tool of the current regime. Official church documents have no meaning for the campaign, which makes do almost entirely without any theological argument. The circle of homophobic activists is small anyway, and the campaign rather virtual. If the regime came up with the idea that tolerance towards homosexuality worked to its advantage, it would easily find liberal and gay priests to go on television and argue this position as well.
(Osteuropa 10/2013, pp. 71–86)