Patriarch Alexi II’s opposition to freedom of assembly for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

Written declaration No. 401 | Doc. 11403 | 24 October 2007

Signatories:

Mr Gianpaolo SILVESTRI, Italy ; Mr John AUSTIN, United Kingdom ; Mr Jaume BARTUMEU CASSANY, Andorra ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Dirk DEES, Netherlands ; Mr Michel DREYFUS-SCHMIDT, France ; Ms Lydie ERR, Luxembourg, SOC ; Mr Bill ETHERINGTON, United Kingdom ; Mr Paul FLYNN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Per-Kristian FOSS, Norway ; Mr Henk van GERVEN, Netherlands ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden ; Mr Doug HENDERSON, United Kingdom ; Mr Jean HUSS, Luxembourg, SOC ; Ms Corien W.A. JONKER, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Erik JURGENS, Netherlands ; Ms Eleonora KATSELI, Greece ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Jaakko LAAKSO, Finland, UEL ; Mr Bob LAXTON, United Kingdom ; Mr Göran LINDBLAD, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Jorge MACHADO, Portugal ; Mr Andrea MANZELLA, Italy ; Mr Maximiano MARTINS, Portugal ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Anja MEULENBELT, Netherlands ; Mr Paskal MILO, Albania ; Mr Pasquale NESSA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Edward O'HARA, United Kingdom ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Elsa PAPADIMITRIOU, Greece ; Mr Leo PLATVOET, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr John PRESCOTT, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Maria de Belém ROSEIRA, Portugal, SOC ; Ms Sabina SINISCALCHI, Italy ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Ruth-Gaby VERMOT-MANGOLD, Switzerland ; Mr Wolfgang WODARG, Germany ; Ms Maryam YAZDANFAR, Sweden

Origin

2nd edition, first tabled on 2 October 2007.

Thesaurus

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

In April, in a pre-Easter address to the media, Patriarch Alexy II announced his invitation to address the Parliamentary Assembly. Emphasising his opposition to gay pride parades, he said he would speak “about Christian values … and the promulgation of sin … there are other abnormalities, including kleptomania, but no one is promoting them. Why is this abnormality advertised so broadly?”

He had previously supported the banning of the 2006 parade, saying that the church “does not accept any propaganda for immorality …. Russia is living through a demographic crisis … a (gay) parade … will not help strengthen the family as the foundation of a strong state”.

Both 2006 and 2007 gay pride events were met with violent opposition by Orthodox and nationalist extremists and broken up by the police.

Intercultural and inter-religious dialogue at the Council of Europe must be based on the principle of the universality and indivisibility of human rights and on mutual respect and tolerance.

We urge Patriarch Alexy to avoid the use of language inciting intolerance and to respect, rather than seek to deny, the fundamental rights of sexual minorities.