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In the name of the glorious 
Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

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Spirit, forever Amen. 
Glory be to the everlasting 

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mercies which sent you to us, O 
Christ, the light of the world 

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and the life of all. 
Give us wisdom by your law and 

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enlighten our impulses by Your 
knowledge. 

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Sanctify our souls by Your 
truth, and grant that we may be 

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obedient to Your words and may 
fulfil Your commandments at 

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every hour. 
O You who enlightens the 

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rational with the knowledge of 
Your greatness, do in light, O 

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my Lord, our thoughts, that we 
may meditate upon Your holy and 

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divine Scriptures at all times. 
O Lord of all, Father and Son 

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and Holy Spirit, forever Amen. 
The Holy Synod of the Assyrian 

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Church of the East convened in 
the city of Erbil, Iraq in April

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of 2024, presided by His 
Holiness Malawi, the third 

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Catholic, as patriarch of the 
Assyrian Church of the East. 

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After the conclusion of the holy
Synod, a statement was released 

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by the holy Synod titled 
synodical statement concerning 

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Christian marriage and issues of
human sexuality. 

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In our last episode, we provided
and we we conducted with His 

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Holiness Marava, our beloved 
patriarch. 

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We promised that we would return
and meet with His Holiness one 

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more time and discuss the actual
statement. 

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It is my pleasure and a blessing
to one more time introduce to 

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all beloved listeners and 
viewers our beloved patriarch, 

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His Holiness Marava. 
Bless us, O Lord, O my Lord, Rab

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Shena Yessi. 
Thank you very much, Rush. 

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It's my joy to be back with you 
on this podcast. 

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And of course, my greetings to 
all of the viewers and all the 

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listeners. 
And of course, I follow the 

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podcast myself. 
So I'm very happy to be here 

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with you. 
We had a great response from 

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that last podcast. 
Thank you. 

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Our our ratings were up, yeah. 
Well, that's good. 

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I'm here. 
Your Holiness will delve 

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straight into the questions. 
There's a few questions. 

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We received some questions from 
Australia as well, our brothers 

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and sisters in Australia. 
The 1st is was there any 

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professional advice and data 
sought by the Synod prior to 

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this statement being released? 
OK. 

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Well, if I may let me back up 
just a bit to give a a brief 

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background to the statement. 
So at the conclusion of our 

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Synod on April 27th last, we had
issued two public documents from

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the Synod for the faithful. 1 
was concerning the meaning of 

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fasting in the spiritual life of
the faithful. 

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And the other was the statement 
to which she referred, which 

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we'll be talking about further 
in depth, about the meaning of 

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Christian marriage and the 
meaning of human sexuality as 

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well. 
And of course, these documents 

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were issued in the Assyrian 
language, with an English 

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translation, of course, which is
probably the most published 1 

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and in an Arabic translation for
the benefit of the faithful all 

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over the world. 
And the impetus behind issuing 

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such a statement had come 
actually a number of years 

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earlier when I was still the 
secretary of the Holy Sonata as 

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a Bishop back in 2019, between 
2018 and 19, where many 

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inquiries had come from the 
faithful, predominantly in the 

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English speaking world, 
concerning the Church's stand on

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various issues of human 
sexuality, with which obviously 

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all of the faithful are exposed 
to on a daily basis. 

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And the fact that the Church had
not had any statement on an 

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official basis until that time. 
So that was the background and 

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why we, as the Holy Synod of the
Church saw that it was very 

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befitting to have such a 
statement issued. 

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And particularly during this 
time where these are very 

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debated issues and where there 
are many questions, not only 

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from those outside of the 
Church, but even from the 

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faithful soul. 
It was, we believe, guided by 

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the Lord, that we would have 
such a statement. 

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And going back to the question 
your Holmes, and thank you for 

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that. 
What was the research? 

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How extensive was the research, 
or was there any professional 

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advice sought by the Senate 
prior to to drafting and 

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releasing the statement? 
Yes, with respect to the draft, 

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there was minimal recourse to 
professionals or medical 

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professionals. 
It was predominantly to the 

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theology of the Church and 
various fathers of the Church. 

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And the reason for that is this 
statement does not intend to be 

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a medical statement, if you 
will, or a a statement that 

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focuses on biology. 
The focus of the statement is 

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the Church's teaching. 
So therefore it's theological 

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and orientation in order to give
the faithful a right perspective

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concerning marriage and 
concerning issues of human 

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sexuality. 
And the idea is that the Church 

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is teaching through the Holy 
Synod, the faithful, what is 

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within the parameters of 
Christian living and within the 

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parameters of the true faith of 
the Church, the Orthodox faith 

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of the Church. 
So that's what the intention of 

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the document is. 
But there was a minimal recourse

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to medical professionals. 
Let's see. 

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And were there any? 
Hindrances or any concerns 

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experienced in deriving to this 
declaration and the releasing of

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the declaration. 
At the outset, so going back to 

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2018 nineteen, there were some 
questions as you can understand 

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for us coming from a background 
from the East, it's these issues

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are very. 
Sensitive. 

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Sensitive. 
Often times they're even a taboo

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where you shouldn't address 
them, especially in a public 

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setting or a public forum. 
But then of course, as I 

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mentioned, the the statement is 
a theological one more than 

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anything else. 
And so therefore, especially 

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with many issues that have come 
across all of us and especially 

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across the the faithful that are
living in the West, North 

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America, Europe, Australia. 
We saw that it was time that the

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Church had a guideline based on 
the canons of the Church, based 

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on the patristics of the church,
the patristic teaching, and in 

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order to connect all of that and
to present to our faithful today

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a guideline, as it were. 
A footnote to the Holy 

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Scriptures, of course, as to how
they should go about to 

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understand these issues and to 
implement what God's will is for

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them as as it is declared by the
Church basically in our 

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teaching. 
Yeah, All is the timing was 

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perfect going through what we 
are going through, going through

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what our children are 
experiencing at the schools and 

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you know, the the challenges and
the confusion that is out there.

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You know, when the statement was
released, it was a sigh of 

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relief because many of the youth
would constantly approach the 

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priests and myself and asking 
about this. 

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But, you know, obviously from 
the faith-based perspective, you

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know, the answer was given. 
But as far as where the church 

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was standing, there was, I 
wouldn't say a little unclear, 

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but the I, I believe there was 
little less confidence to give 

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an answer to in case it didn't 
line with the church's stand. 

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But the, the, the timing was 
perfect. 

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Your Holiness when reading the 
statement and of itself, it's 

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quite clear and precise as well 
presented, which is the of the 

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comments that we received on the
fact that Christians have two 

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choices of lifestyle, either 
celibacy or legal marriage. 

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Now when referring to celibacy, 
we are specifically implying 

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dedication to serving to the 
Lord within the church, the 

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church rankings. 
We have the notion that is if a 

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male does not wish to be married
because they just want to feel 

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free and not be obliged to a 
wedding or a wedlock. 

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And it's clear from the 
statement that the issues of the

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Christian marriage between a 
male and female, that is a man 

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and a woman and totally the 
church refuting the same sex 

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marriage according to the faith,
the dogma, the doctrine, the 

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liturgy. 
And as your Holiness mentioned, 

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the tradition of the church 
being built upon the foundation 

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of the apostles and prophets. 
Prophets, what, what is the 

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church? 
Can we can we, can Your Holiness

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confirm that and clarify one 
more time because again, the 

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statement is out. 
There's still a little unclarity

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among some people that the 
churches stands against same sex

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marriage and the lifestyle of a 
man or a woman in concerning 

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celibacy and marriage is that we
were born to either offer our 

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life totally to Christ or to be 
in a marriage, a wedding 

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marriage relationship and that 
is of a man and a woman and the 

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same sex marriage in the LGBTQ 
plus is totally refuted by the 

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church. 
Yes, let me backtrack a bit. 

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I want to put on record the the 
input in the initial draft and 

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the formulation of this document
of Pasha Abraham Alphas, who 

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helped me at the time when I was
Secretary of the Synod in 

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formulating the English language
statement, which is the basis. 

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And that's that's the main 
language that the document was 

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issued in. 
So yes, of course, we delved 

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into the theology of the church 
in the beginning. 

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At the outset, and I'm referring
to the document itself. 

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We speak about the two ways of 
life. 

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And this sort of alludes to what
we read in in the D decay speaks

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about the two ways, way of life 
and the way of death. 

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Of course, that's in a broader 
perspective of, of the reality 

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we as Christians live in the 
world as a whole. 

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But in terms of Christian 
living, Christian lifestyles, if

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you will, there is marriage, of 
course, Christian marriage. 

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And for those who for one reason
or another do not contract 

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Christian marriage, that is they
they're celibates, if you will, 

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that that is the other way of 
lifestyle. 

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Now, whether one is married or 
one is celibate, and this is 

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based on, of course, the 
epistles of Saint Paul, he's 

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very clear on this. 
And either way of life that one 

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chooses or one discerns for him 
or herself, we have to glorify 

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Christ. 
If you're married, you have to 

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glorify Christ in your married 
life as a husband or as a wife 

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and as as spouses together. 
If one is celibate for various 

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reasons, you also have to 
glorify Christ in your life. 

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If your celibacy is consecrated,
meaning one is dedicated to the 

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Lord. 
Of course that is, so to speak, 

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a notch above what a a lay 
celibate, if you will, would be 

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engaged in. 
So in whichever way of life one 

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chooses, you have to glorify 
Christ in your life. 

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So if one chooses to be 
celibate, and then we have to 

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see what the reasons for that of
course are, then you have to 

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magnify God in your life. 
That is not a free license to 

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live as you will. 
I mean, as the Saint Paul 

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writes, anything we do, we do 
for the glory of God. 

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Indeed, referring to marriage 
union holiness again of a male 

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and female, we need to reiterate
that at what point is a marriage

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union deemed complete and fully 
united? 

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Is it after the priest or the 
the officiant declares that the 

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the male and the female declared
husband and wife? 

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Or is there a required for 
consummation? 

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Well, in chapter 3 of the 
document we speak as the Holy 

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Synod more in depth in terms of 
Christian marriage and 

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homosexuality. 
So just as we as human beings 

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who are created in the image and
likeness of God, there is a few 

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will, a spiritual aspect to us, 
to our composition, and there is

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a corporeal aspect, marriage 
itself and the married couple, 

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the husband and wife who Saint 
Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 

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reflect the union of Christ and 
his Church also must reflect 

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this spiritual and there is the 
corporeal aspect. 

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So in terms of the spiritual, we
have the blessing of God through

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the church for the husband and 
the wife, the brine and the 

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groom. 
And in fact, it's interesting 

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because it's the Church of the 
East going back to at least the 

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6th century, which is one of the
earliest canonical prescriptions

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of how a marriage should be 
blessed in the church. 

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We have to remember that until 
the Middle Ages and even a bit 

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after that, in the West, 
particularly the Latin Church, 

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marriage was deemed a social 
contract. 

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So two parties agreed to live 
together as husband and wife, 

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and the presence of a priest was
in that sense not necessary 

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because they would exchange the 
vows and therefore they would 

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commit themselves one to 
another. 

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It was more of a social, social 
construct. 

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In the Church of the East we 
have canonical legislation going

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back to the five hundreds where 
the Church says no, the marriage

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of a Christian husband and a 
Christian wife must be blessed 

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by God, must be in the presence 
of God through the mediation of 

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the priesthood with the presence
of the cup of blessing, which is

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a part of our liturgical right 
for the blessing and the 

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presence of the priest and of 
the cross. 

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So we have early liturgical 
prescriptions that are based on 

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the canons of the. 
Two of the sacraments of the 

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seven sacraments of the. 
Church, of course, marriage is 

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not considered one of the seven 
sacraments in the Church of the 

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East. 
That is not to say it's it's not

227
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considered holy. 
That is not to say that there is

228
00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:06,520
a divine blessing and invocation
in the rite of marriage. 

229
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,400
It's not enumerated among the 
seven in the in the Sacramento 

230
00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,000
theology of the Church. 
So from the spiritual side, you 

231
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:18,320
have God blessing the husband 
and the wife through the Church,

232
00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,720
through the priest and the 
liturgical rite. 

233
00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:28,640
And that constitutes a 
fulfillment of what we read in 

234
00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:32,440
Genesis where God blessed them 
and he said be fruitful and 

235
00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,280
multiply. 
That commandment of God which 

236
00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:40,280
runs through human nature is 
actualized for that couple at at

237
00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,800
that time that blessing is given
to them. 

238
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:47,080
Now there is the corporeal 
aspect where the husband and the

239
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:51,040
wife, after having been blessed 
by God and through the mediation

240
00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,520
of the church, enjoy those 
blessings when they come 

241
00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:58,720
together as husband and wife and
they consummate that marriage. 

242
00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,600
And we believe that God also 
blesses them through that act as

243
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,640
well, because now it is a 
sanctified act. 

244
00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,720
So that's the corporeal aspect. 
So in marriage, you have the 

245
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:14,520
double aspect of body and soul, 
you have the aspect of the 

246
00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,560
spiritual blessing and then the 
corporeal enjoyment of those 

247
00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:21,640
blessings. 
And that's reflected in the not 

248
00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,120
only the right, but also in, in,
in the life of the and. 

249
00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,040
They must be completed, both of 
them, Your Holiness, both the 

250
00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,120
consummation and the. 
Yes, they are. 

251
00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:35,280
They are complementary. 
Now we we have read in the 

252
00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,320
history of the Church that there
have been couples who although 

253
00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:41,160
they've been, their marriage has
been blessed but by agreement 

254
00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,880
and we have canons regarding 
that they have agreed to live a 

255
00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:48,040
celibate or consecrated life. 
But that has to be with the 

256
00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:51,320
agreement of both the husband 
and the wife. 

257
00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,240
In a marriage union. 
In a marriage. 

258
00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,240
Union, yes. 
Civil weddings and civil 

259
00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:02,160
marriages totally not validated 
by the Church is not correct, 

260
00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:06,599
Your Holiness. 
With regard to civil marriages, 

261
00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:11,240
some call them civil unions. 
So getting that piece of paper 

262
00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,960
known as your marriage license, 
state law requires that. 

263
00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:19,119
In many countries, the law of 
the state will require that and 

264
00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:22,440
the church honors that in the 
sense that generally almost 

265
00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,640
across the board, we will not 
bless the marriage where in the 

266
00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,680
the couple does not have a 
marriage license from the state 

267
00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:31,880
from that country that they're 
living in. 

268
00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:38,320
But however, that's just in 
order to legalities to fulfill 

269
00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,560
the legality of it, of course, 
but the blessing comes from the 

270
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:43,840
liturgical right that's given in
the Church. 

271
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,200
And so simply a union that's 
blessed, that's that comes 

272
00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,680
together, that's recognized in 
the state does not enjoy the 

273
00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:53,960
blessings of God in the eyes of 
the Church. 

274
00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,880
And we also have a Canon that 
goes back about 2025 years ago 

275
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:03,200
where that says that a couple 
that has been married only in a 

276
00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:08,080
state or civil setting cannot 
partake of Holy Communion unless

277
00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:12,680
they are blessed in the Church. 
That is, if they have been 

278
00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:19,280
married in in the city, let's 
make it plan, but they're not 

279
00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,960
living together, it was only for
the legality. 

280
00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:26,760
They can still partake in the 
community or is it that? 

281
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,120
If they're not living together 
as other than life, yes they. 

282
00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:33,080
We have questions from 
Australia, shout out to the 

283
00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:38,320
Aussies out there and I'll go 
straight into them and I I'll 

284
00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:41,600
read them so that I don't, I 
don't misrepresent the 

285
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,080
Australians in any way. 
The question is, Your Holiness, 

286
00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:48,560
if the Church is aware that a 
couple requesting the blessing 

287
00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:51,880
of the union are willingly 
deciding to refrain from having 

288
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:57,440
children, that is taking 
measures to avoid or hinder 

289
00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:02,480
procreation without proven 
medical or physical impotency, 

290
00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,520
will the couple be blessed by 
the Church? 

291
00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:09,840
If a couple approached the 
priest requesting that the 

292
00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:13,320
Church officiate their blessing 
of marriage and but they 

293
00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,320
indicate that they have decided 
they will not have any children 

294
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,480
because they want to be free and
enjoy themselves and what have 

295
00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:23,200
you, and again, no medical 
physical impotency, will the 

296
00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:28,560
Church bless that that marriage.
In that scenario, the priest 

297
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,920
ought not to bless the marriage 
and for the simple reason. 

298
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:36,720
So according to the theology of 
the Church, there are 4 ends. 

299
00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,520
We call them the ends of 
marriage, which Marodisha of 

300
00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:43,400
Nisibis and his Maganita. 
He enumerates. 

301
00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:47,280
First and foremost that marriage
is for the sake of domestic care

302
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,040
and labor of the husband and 
wife, for the rearing of 

303
00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:54,360
together as a couple. 
So they're coming together as a 

304
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,680
couple. 
Secondly, for rearing or 

305
00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:58,360
bringing up children in the fear
of God. 

306
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:00,320
It's one of the ends of 
marriage. 

307
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,360
Thirdly, in order to curb 
temptation because of our fallen

308
00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:07,880
nature, we have to remember that
God gave the blessing to be 

309
00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:09,760
fruitful, multiplied before the 
fall. 

310
00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,720
Man has actuated it after the 
fall. 

311
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:19,200
And fourthly, for domestic 
harmony and the submission of 

312
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,360
the husband and the wife one to 
another in love. 

313
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:24,360
So these are the ends of 
marriage now? 

314
00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:29,200
These are what are required to 
have a marriage that is not 

315
00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,920
simply canonical, but also 
licit, if you will, meaning that

316
00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,840
it it's right, it is the way it 
should be, it's proper. 

317
00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:45,400
It is proper if a couple were to
come and say that they outright 

318
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:51,720
willfully, voluntarily do not 
want children or will impede the

319
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,600
procreation of children, that is
actually a very grave sin 

320
00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,240
because they're sinning against 
the nature of what marriage is, 

321
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,520
is intended by the creator to be
one of which the ends of 

322
00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:06,960
marriage, of course, one of the 
main ones is the procreation of 

323
00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:09,760
children or the continuance of 
the human race. 

324
00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,800
Now it often happens that there 
are couples where one or both 

325
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,160
parties are not able to conceive
or impotent. 

326
00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,880
Often times they discover that 
later on in their in their 

327
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:24,920
married life and the church says
they should support one another 

328
00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,120
in prayer and the church 
accompanies their in prayer. 

329
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:31,280
But if from the outset they come
and say well we do not want 

330
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:35,000
children, then obviously they do
not understand what marriage is 

331
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:41,600
all about and it is a sin to 
willfully impede the procreation

332
00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,080
of children. 
Now that does that mean that 

333
00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:47,720
every time that the husband and 
wife come together in sexual 

334
00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:51,360
union, they will necessarily 
procreate, but they have to be 

335
00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:56,960
open to God and the will of God 
as the author of marriage. 

336
00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:58,840
Amen. 
Who has so ordained it? 

337
00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:01,760
Great response. 
Thank you. 

338
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,400
You know, this is, this is so 
informative, your Holiness. 

339
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:08,720
It's putting a lot of dots on 
the IS and crossing the TS and 

340
00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,320
and I think. 
Having said that, now with a 

341
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:13,640
couple that does come with that 
sort of an intention, of course,

342
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,800
in in Canada, there are always 
exceptions. 

343
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,960
I mean, I mean one would have to
go deep into what what is 

344
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,800
happening there, but as a rule 
it is it is a sin to willfully 

345
00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:28,280
impede procreation of children. 
You holy is going back to 

346
00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:33,600
procreation and God's 
commandment to multiply and be 

347
00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,400
fruitful. 
The second question from 

348
00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:39,560
Australia's are contraceptions 
permitted in any case? 

349
00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:41,480
We talked about hindering 
procreation. 

350
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,640
Are contraceptions permitted in 
any case? 

351
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,440
That is, married couples 
deciding not to produce more 

352
00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:51,960
children. 
Well, Chapter 4, Section 4 of 

353
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,680
the document speaks about that 
procreation of sterility. 

354
00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,680
As I mentioned, one of the four 
ends of marriage as articulated 

355
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:01,840
by the Church is the procreation
of children. 

356
00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:08,440
And if the couple or either 
spouses in the couple decides to

357
00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:12,440
voluntarily, volitionally to to 
impede that, then that is 

358
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:17,800
sinful. 
Now, there are natural means of 

359
00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:23,240
observing, particularly the 
wife, the the woman's various 

360
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:28,800
cycles, bodily cycles, if you 
will, where they can, coming 

361
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:33,160
together in prayer when they can
refrain from sexual union and 

362
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:37,080
that will not result in 
conception. 

363
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,760
But any mechanical means outside
of marriage, outside of the 

364
00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,240
husband and wife is sinful. 
I. 

365
00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,960
Mean and. 
The faithful need to be careful 

366
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:53,080
about that because what happens 
is this is against the the 

367
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,280
sexuality becomes, that is 
within the context of marriage 

368
00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:01,080
becomes objectivized. 
It's objective, it's an object. 

369
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:06,040
One or both of the spouses wants
the pleasure without the 

370
00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:09,240
blessings that come with that 
pleasure, which is procreation, 

371
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,240
for example. 
So then the sexual union, sex 

372
00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:16,520
itself becomes an object, and 
that is gravely sinful. 

373
00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:21,680
I mean, I mean, before we go and
Lord your Lord, your Holiness, 

374
00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,440
thank you so much. 
And I'm not does not finish it. 

375
00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:29,200
But this is such a blessing to 
be able to sit before the head 

376
00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:33,720
of the church, the patriarch of 
the church, and to openly speak 

377
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:37,520
these in All, in all modesty and
not modesty in all respect. 

378
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:42,520
And the terminology which is so 
sanctified, in case listeners 

379
00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:47,760
are now little surprised that 
Marawa is talking about these 

380
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,400
things. 
The fathers many, many years ago

381
00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,240
have been so explicit. 
And they've been, yeah, they 

382
00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:56,840
they their comments on this is 
so clear. 

383
00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,080
And they didn't hold back with 
their language. 

384
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,120
So those who are a little 
surprised, don't be take it as a

385
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:06,960
blessing where we have again, 
His Holiness, the head of the 

386
00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:12,520
church worldwide speaking with 
us on these very, very crucial 

387
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:16,120
points to clarify. 
And the intention of this 

388
00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:19,880
episode is to drive us away from
sin and to bring us into the 

389
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,760
will of God with these these 
blessings that God has given us,

390
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:27,040
such as the union of marriage 
and the sexuality of mankind. 

391
00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,080
Indeed. 
Well, the the Holy Synod is 

392
00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:32,280
expressing the mind of the 
church, which is the mind of 

393
00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,920
Christ. 
And of course, there should be 

394
00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:38,920
viewer discretion for younger 
viewers, and they could maybe 

395
00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,720
sit in the presence of an adult,
or maybe the adult could later 

396
00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:46,560
explain once they're old enough 
to appreciate these matters. 

397
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:51,480
But the church needs to and 
should always be ready to 

398
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,240
address where the faithful are 
coming from. 

399
00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,640
So I'm not saying anything new. 
I'm saying what is already 

400
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,120
present in the Scriptures in 
various ways and in the 

401
00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:06,040
teachings of the church. 
And so we want our faithful to 

402
00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:09,640
be informed of what it means to 
be a Christian. 

403
00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:13,800
Saint Paul is so vocal on sexual
immorality where it brings an 

404
00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:15,320
example. 
Yes, it is. 

405
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,400
Yes. 
And what was the term you used 

406
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,720
for the youngies? 
You just mentioned your grace, 

407
00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:28,200
that it must be. 
Explain to them. 

408
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,280
No, no, the, the, the, the young
children that are hearing this, 

409
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,320
it has to be a little bit well. 
There needs to be discretion. 

410
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,040
Discretion. 
Well, I'm, I'm sorry, Holiness, 

411
00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,000
this is my personal view. 
When you have a drag queen 

412
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,800
sitting in front of children 
reading books and telling them 

413
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:47,800
how a boy can love a boy and 
what have you, I think we can be

414
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,040
openly speaking now. 
Well, that's the issue now, 

415
00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:54,560
these things which at one point 
were taught too much older 

416
00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:58,800
children, for example, but there
was sexual sex education in 

417
00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,520
public schools, maybe private 
schools and as well when they 

418
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,880
were in the high school years 
and and further up. 

419
00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:08,560
But nowadays it's very, very 
unfortunate, very sad and very, 

420
00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,440
I would say even demonic to 
teach young children the things 

421
00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,560
that are being taught in public 
schools in many Western 

422
00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:18,720
countries. 
And it's not only the USI 

423
00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,320
observed this in Canada when I 
was there recently, it's in 

424
00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,840
Europe as well. 
It's another problem, probably 

425
00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,600
even in Australia, the public 
school systems where they're 

426
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:32,640
exposing young children to these
perversities and they're saying 

427
00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:36,800
it's OK to be transgender, It's 
OK to be to live out a 

428
00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,920
homosexual life. 
Often times they'll bring people

429
00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:44,400
that are of that orientation in 
order to give a book reading for

430
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,200
the class. 
Recently we even saw it at the 

431
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:51,400
opening of the Olympics in Paris
where they were mocking one of 

432
00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,200
the most sacred mysteries of the
Christian faith, which is the 

433
00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,720
Last Supper of Jesus, of his 
disciples, mystical Supper. 

434
00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:03,640
And we had, there were 
abominations taking place and 

435
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,320
there was a very cheap apology 
that was offered by the 

436
00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,680
coordinators of the Olympics, 
which is very sad. 

437
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:14,960
And the problem again is this, 
that Christians are not standing

438
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,880
up for their faith. 
Christians are. 

439
00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:23,120
They've become fearful and we're
afraid to stand up for our 

440
00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:26,960
faith, and especially in 
countries in the West where 

441
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:29,640
there are legal means in order 
to defend the faith. 

442
00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:32,200
And Christians are not doing 
that. 

443
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,360
And it's shameful for a 
Christian not to stand up for 

444
00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:38,200
his or her faith today. 
Your. 

445
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:43,280
Holiness, we understand that 
procreation, according to the 

446
00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:45,320
understanding and teaching of 
the Church and the Church 

447
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:49,240
Fathers, is a gracious gift, a 
gracious provision from God by 

448
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:54,520
means of the consummative act or
process of a male and female, 

449
00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,480
according to the synodical 
statement, actions or procedures

450
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,200
for the production of embryos. 
And this is what we're going to 

451
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:06,200
talk about outside of the body, 
namely IVF, in vitro 

452
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,800
fertilization, which will result
in many remaining embryos being 

453
00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:15,080
destroyed, are not merely 
disapproved by the Church, 

454
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:19,840
rather condemned by the Church. 
What about your holiness? 

455
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:25,320
If in the event where one or 
both of the spouses are non 

456
00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:30,240
fertile, incapable of 
reproducing, will the church 

457
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,600
accept or agree the procedure 
that is IBF? 

458
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:38,880
If there is a guarantee of no 
discarding of any embryos, will 

459
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,440
that be permitted? 
Well, of course, the document 

460
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:49,520
speaks about infertile couples 
and in no way does that impede a

461
00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:54,480
couple that comes together first
and foremost, their love for God

462
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,960
and love for each other and 
their marriage union is blessed 

463
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:02,160
by God and by the Church. 
And if for some reason whether 

464
00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:07,760
either of the spouses is not 
able to procreate, that marriage

465
00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,800
is not considered less of a 
marriage, if you will, because 

466
00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:14,680
they have the desire to 
procreate and to have children. 

467
00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:18,960
Often times this is a point of 
suffering for couples. 

468
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,760
And we've seen that in in the 
pastoral setting where 

469
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:24,880
oftentimes they'll seek the 
prayers of the church and the 

470
00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:27,840
blessings of the church and the 
prayers of the Saints to help 

471
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:29,480
them. 
And that is a very good thing to

472
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:33,440
desire children because the 
Scripture says that we have to 

473
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:36,480
get Maliabny and the heritage of
the Lord are children. 

474
00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:41,320
But oftentimes, for various 
reasons, you'll find that 

475
00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:44,160
unfortunately that will not be 
the case. 

476
00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,400
And a couple may earnestly in 
prayer and in fasting and 

477
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,880
seeking the prayers of the 
Saints, seek God's favor for 

478
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,000
that. 
But there may be also the case, 

479
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,680
and one has to look at it this 
way, that maybe God does not 

480
00:30:57,680 --> 00:30:59,240
desire for them to have 
children. 

481
00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:02,600
So that's where these questions 
come into play. 

482
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:07,000
And of course, today medically, 
there are various means that are

483
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:11,960
that have been concocted in 
order to help couples to 

484
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,720
conceive. 
Now IVF of course, in vitro 

485
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:17,600
fertilization is one of the most
famous. 

486
00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:20,640
At best, it has a 20% success 
rate. 

487
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:24,800
But there are a few points with 
regard to in vitro 

488
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,600
fertilization. 
First and foremost, the couple 

489
00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:31,960
should seek spiritual guidance 
in prayer and in fasting and, 

490
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:37,960
and seeking the the, the 
pastoral care of the church, the

491
00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,400
priest of the church. 
And in that way there should be 

492
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:45,080
a spiritual discernment if that 
is something they should 

493
00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:49,640
consider or not. 
Secondly, there is the issue of 

494
00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:55,280
the creation of embryos from the
from the eggs and the sperm of 

495
00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:58,240
the couple. 
Now there are various means of 

496
00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:00,520
freezing the embryos. 
First they're fertilized out 

497
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,800
generally outside of the womb 
and then they're frozen. 

498
00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,360
And then there's the issue of 
the reproductive cells that are 

499
00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:11,160
that are fertilized and they're 
becoming discarded. 

500
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:17,600
Generally there is a process 
where physicians will choose the

501
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:22,440
best among the fertilized eggs, 
if you will, and those will be 

502
00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:26,480
used for implantation and the 
rest will be discarded. 

503
00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:31,080
Now we believe that conception 
begin, life begins at the moment

504
00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:35,360
of conceptions when the 
reproductive cells of the man 

505
00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:38,840
and the woman come together. 
And that is an act that God as 

506
00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:43,960
the creator has brought about. 
It's not simply a biological 

507
00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:46,080
act. 
God is behind that. 

508
00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:48,160
So therefore it's sacred and 
it's holy. 

509
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:53,280
And to discard fertilized 
embryos, embryos that of course 

510
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:57,680
that are fertilized is goes 
against the will of the author 

511
00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,480
of life, who is God. 
It's it's a sin to discard them 

512
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:02,880
because life begins already 
there. 

513
00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:07,320
So there are other means where 
they can guarantee that they 

514
00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:12,440
will not discard the embryos. 
That may be an option for them 

515
00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,360
for the couple that's seeking to
have to have children. 

516
00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:22,200
Some of the the medical 
professionals will also use pre 

517
00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,440
implantation, pre implantation 
genetic testing. 

518
00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:31,720
So they will check the embryos 
to see if there is a potential 

519
00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:37,000
for a disease, there's a 
potential for complications 

520
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,800
possibly, or that the baby that 
will be born will have some sort

521
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,920
of a deficiency and they will 
discard those embryos. 

522
00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:50,240
And that's the caveat. 
That's where IVF really in that 

523
00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,960
sense is something that the 
faithful should be very much 

524
00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,640
careful of. 
There are ways where they can 

525
00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:02,760
request that the fertilized eggs
will be used so that nothing is 

526
00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:07,400
discarded. 
And then is that guaranteed? 

527
00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:09,960
Well, nothing is really 
guaranteed. 

528
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:13,400
As I mentioned, generally they 
say there's only 20% success 

529
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:17,159
rate in that. 
But those are things that are 

530
00:34:17,159 --> 00:34:23,920
very, very important and to be 
aware of because we cannot have 

531
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:26,679
embryos or eggs that are 
fertilized just being discarded.

532
00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,400
They're frozen, they're kept for
a while, and then they're 

533
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:32,880
discarded because that life has 
already begun there. 

534
00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:36,080
That embryo is growing into a 
human person. 

535
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,560
Now there's other means, for 
example, intrauterine 

536
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:44,560
insemination, where the 
productive cells of the husband 

537
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:48,080
are injected, if you will, into 
into the wife. 

538
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:52,639
That also has a 7 to 10% success
rate, more or less. 

539
00:34:53,239 --> 00:35:00,520
But again, there must be caution
against using donated sperm, for

540
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,760
example, outside of the husband 
or any other reproductive cells 

541
00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:06,400
of the woman as well outside of 
the couple. 

542
00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:11,640
Surrogacy, for example, That is,
that is to be avoided. 

543
00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:17,520
All of those are acts that 
really constitute a grave 

544
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:21,720
violation of the sacredness of 
marriage and of the union of 

545
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:25,400
this man and this woman. 
In and. 

546
00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:30,360
Please forgive my ignorance, I 
haven't spent much time looking 

547
00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:36,760
into this, but in the case where
a mother offers her body to be 

548
00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:43,320
intimate, intimated if that's a 
word to produce a child for her 

549
00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:45,640
daughter. 
Yes, that would be surrogacy. 

550
00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:52,920
Surrogacy is, is is yes, because
the resultant birth or 

551
00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:57,440
conception, as I mentioned, has 
to be of this man, this husband 

552
00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:01,280
and that's wife. 
It's not just having a child, 

553
00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:03,640
conceiving for the sake of 
conceiving a child. 

554
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:11,000
So the the personhood of the 
spouses also is at play. 

555
00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,080
And that's why initially I 
mentioned that sexuality should 

556
00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:18,400
should not be objectivized 
because there's the dignity of 

557
00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:22,120
the human person as created in 
the image and likeness of God. 

558
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:26,520
So it's not just this woman and 
any man or this man and any 

559
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,440
woman. 
It's this man and this woman 

560
00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:32,920
together. 
Yes, yes, Adam and Eve together.

561
00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:35,280
This Adam and this. 
This Adam and this Eve, yes, 

562
00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:38,760
Your Holiness, the church's 
stands on abortion. 

563
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:43,280
Yes, we know, we have an 
understanding, we have an idea, 

564
00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,520
but we'd like to hear it from 
your Holiness. 

565
00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:48,880
I think it's it is included also
in the in the statement. 

566
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:53,000
Can you please clarify the 
absolute stance of the church 

567
00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,320
when it comes to abortion? 
Yes, of course, the synodical 

568
00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,320
statement that speaks about 
abortion, abortion is, is really

569
00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:04,520
a grave sin in in in our world 
and in society. 

570
00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:09,040
Today. 
There are roughly 73,000,000 

571
00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,480
abortions committed worldwide 
per year. 

572
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,240
And when you think about that, 
that is something that really 

573
00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:21,600
surpasses human understanding, 
that such an act could be so 

574
00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,880
perpetrated in human society 
today. 

575
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:27,840
And the Scriptures, of course, 
both the Old and the New 

576
00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:34,440
Testament in various ways speak 
against abortion, the Mosaic 

577
00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:36,960
Law. 
We'll see that in the first five

578
00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:39,000
books of the Old Testament in 
the Psalms. 

579
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:42,720
And I mentioned the DDK, the 
beginning of our talk, which is 

580
00:37:42,720 --> 00:37:46,880
an early Christian document from
the New Testament period that 

581
00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:49,080
speaks about the way of life and
the way of death. 

582
00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:52,960
It speaks about abortion. 
And the fathers in the councils 

583
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:54,800
of the church have always 
mentioned. 

584
00:37:55,400 --> 00:38:03,720
So abortion as such is a grave 
sin at any stage of pregnancy. 

585
00:38:04,240 --> 00:38:08,320
Nowadays you'll even hear that 
there are certain physicians and

586
00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:13,360
maybe even certain political 
personages that will, that will 

587
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:16,760
promote abortion even after the 
child is born. 

588
00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:22,000
Yes. 
And so that is the level to 

589
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,360
which human society has been 
degraded. 

590
00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,400
The child will be born, Your 
Holiness, and the physician will

591
00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:32,120
consult the mother whether she 
would like the child aborted or 

592
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:33,960
not. 
So there is a child sitting on 

593
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:38,080
the table, let's say. 
Yes, and unfortunately it's been

594
00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:43,560
put into the the framework of 
it's called reproductive rights 

595
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:46,040
today. 
It's called women's rights, of 

596
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:50,120
course. 
But that child is a distinct 

597
00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:54,240
particular human person. 
I mean, that is in the womb of 

598
00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:59,280
the mother. 
Yes, the mother by the design 

599
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:03,120
that God has put into human 
nature carries the child. 

600
00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:08,120
But that child is a distinct, 
unique human kunuma, if you 

601
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:14,640
will, and therefore he or she 
has their own rights, the main 

602
00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:16,920
one of which is, of course, the 
right to life. 

603
00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:20,400
Human rights. 
Yes, human rights began at the 

604
00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:25,120
moment of conception and the 
right is the right to have life 

605
00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:28,800
because God has given life to 
that child just as he's given 

606
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:30,560
life to that the mother of the 
child. 

607
00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:36,400
So unfortunately, and this is 
the degradation of society, that

608
00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:40,880
reproductive rights and women's 
rights, they're all jumbled 

609
00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:44,240
together, while the child has 
rights as well, even though it's

610
00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:49,280
an unborn child, but it's a 
viable, a viable life that is 

611
00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,800
distinct and unique. 
We call that a Gnuma, and God 

612
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,760
has created that Gnuma to live 
and to have. 

613
00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:58,920
Life and the child has the right
to be adopted by the couple who 

614
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,800
cannot have any children and to 
raise the child. 

615
00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:05,640
Adoption. 
Carrying a child Of course. 

616
00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:09,600
Now there are other medical 
issues that we won't get into, 

617
00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:14,480
but giving a child up for 
adoption is always the best 

618
00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:18,120
choice because first and 
foremost, you will not end up 

619
00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:20,880
engaging in murder by killing a 
child. 

620
00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:24,880
Secondly, if a mother for some 
reason or any reason cannot keep

621
00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:28,480
the child or rear the child, 
there is a couple that is 

622
00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,480
looking that cannot but is 
looking to have a child. 

623
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:35,320
What about in cases of rape and 
incest? 

624
00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:41,160
Holiness. 
Even in those cases, there are, 

625
00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:46,000
they are extreme. 
They're beyond sad, of course, 

626
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:49,920
that someone that a woman would 
undergo such violence and and 

627
00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:54,960
such suffering. 
But in and of itself, the ACT is

628
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:59,840
still an abortion. 
Whatever the circumstances might

629
00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:02,000
be. 
When you look at the ACT itself,

630
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,840
it's still an abortion if the 
child is aborted, and that act 

631
00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:10,000
is still sinful. 
So you cannot correct a sin with

632
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:11,000
another sin. 
Yes. 

633
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:14,520
Now in terms of culpability, 
moral theologians will get into,

634
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:17,600
well, let's talk about the 
culpability of the mother. 

635
00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:21,440
In that sense, yes, But the ACT 
is still murder. 

636
00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:23,600
It's still an abortion. 
And in the case where the 

637
00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:29,160
mother's life is in danger and 
there is a option of aborting 

638
00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:33,280
the child or giving birth to the
child and the possibility of 

639
00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:37,080
possibility of the mother dying.
Yes. 

640
00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:41,080
Well, the church hasn't spoken 
to that and that particular 

641
00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:47,200
case, and it does happen often, 
maybe more often than we think, 

642
00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:52,040
even though it it is an 
exception, is something that the

643
00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:55,520
mother would have to decide 
again under spiritual guidance. 

644
00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:00,800
There have been mothers that 
have been very willing to give 

645
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:03,120
their life for their unborn 
child. 

646
00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:10,840
And we have heard of many cases 
where, for example, so and so in

647
00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:14,240
our own community, of course, 
where Oh yeah, he, his mother 

648
00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:18,520
died when she gave birth to him.
She chose to lay her life for. 

649
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:22,120
Her child, son or the daughter 
is there, and so that is. 

650
00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:24,240
And Christ says there is no 
greater love than one should 

651
00:42:24,240 --> 00:42:28,200
give his life or his friend. 
Could we say that's a process of

652
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:33,200
saving a life? 
It is and not killing a life. 

653
00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:37,200
Morally speaking, there are 
other considerations. 

654
00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:42,040
Are there, for example, 2345 
other very small children that 

655
00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,720
need to be cared for? 
Is there a father there? 

656
00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:46,880
Is there not a father in the 
scenario? 

657
00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:49,880
So there are the other 
considerations. 

658
00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:53,920
But in terms of principle, and 
that's what the Church gives in 

659
00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:57,760
her teaching, is always the 
correct principle based on the 

660
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:00,400
Scriptures and based on the 
teachings of the Church is that 

661
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,760
in giving our life for the 
saving of another life, that is 

662
00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:08,880
the ultimate of Christian 
sacrifice in whatever context it

663
00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:11,960
might be. 
Your Holiness, one other 

664
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:16,200
question that is on the mind of 
many people and you know, 

665
00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:19,160
declaration from the Church and 
clarification from the Church 

666
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:23,160
because we the children of God, 
become the children of God 

667
00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:24,760
through the sacraments of the 
Church. 

668
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:29,640
And we at all times look up to 
the church to guide and to lead 

669
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:34,320
us in our life on earth, whether
it be corporal or spiritual. 

670
00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:40,320
A human sexuality, such a, a 
controversial topic today and 

671
00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:43,440
and it's so in my personal view 
is so messed up today. 

672
00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:48,280
But when God created man and 
woman, it was clear cut. 

673
00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,120
Can you please, Your Holiness, 
clarify and once and for all 

674
00:43:53,760 --> 00:43:57,440
help us to understand and to 
learn and to know the Church's 

675
00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:01,320
stance on human sexuality? 
The problem is that the faithful

676
00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:09,360
today are more informed by the 
culture around them, which often

677
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:14,520
times and in many countries is, 
is sadly a hedonistic culture. 

678
00:44:15,440 --> 00:44:20,080
As opposed to being informed by 
what the Church is teaching, 

679
00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:23,880
which of course is based on the 
Holy Scriptures and based on the

680
00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:26,480
teaching of the fathers of the 
church and the canons of the 

681
00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:30,720
Church, which together 
constitute the church's mind as 

682
00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:33,160
the body of Christ, as the bride
of Christ. 

683
00:44:34,120 --> 00:44:38,760
So when when our faithful are 
being informed by society around

684
00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:41,720
them and what society says, 
whether it's social media, 

685
00:44:41,720 --> 00:44:45,280
whether it's in print media, 
whether it's on TV, as opposed 

686
00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:49,160
to what God is saying through 
the church, that's where the 

687
00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:55,640
problem actually arises. 
And so yes, the church speaks 

688
00:44:55,640 --> 00:45:01,120
about what human sexuality is 
and what it ought to be in the 

689
00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:07,040
life of the faithful. 
So obviously homosexuality is at

690
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:09,200
the heart of marriage, of 
Christian marriage. 

691
00:45:09,640 --> 00:45:12,480
But what is human sexuality? 
And I want to read what the 

692
00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:14,520
synodal statement says verbatim 
on this. 

693
00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:19,720
And this is in in chapter 3, 
second number three, human 

694
00:45:19,720 --> 00:45:24,120
sexuality is given by God our 
Creator as a special gift for 

695
00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:28,880
the uniting of man and woman 
inseparably in holy wedlock and 

696
00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:32,800
for the procreation of the human
race, which is a sanctification 

697
00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:37,720
of the human person who is 
resolved to cooperate with God 

698
00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:42,280
in the sacred act of procreating
in love. 

699
00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:48,200
So the blessings that the 
priests that God extends through

700
00:45:48,200 --> 00:45:51,680
the the priesthood in the church
to the couple that is being 

701
00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:55,880
wedded and which they will enjoy
later during their married life 

702
00:45:56,320 --> 00:46:01,360
is expressed, is actualized, 
realized, if you will, in their 

703
00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:04,720
coming together in their union 
as husband and wife. 

704
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:11,880
And therefore the proper context
for human sexuality is within 

705
00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:15,680
marriage, within Christian 
marriage that is blessed by God.

706
00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:23,280
Now, once we take human 
sexuality and objectivize it, 

707
00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:29,120
that's where it becomes sinful. 
Taking human sexuality out of 

708
00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:34,120
the context of marriage is where
we have all of these troubles 

709
00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:37,560
that, and all of these issues 
that we see are around us and, 

710
00:46:38,080 --> 00:46:41,000
and people just being confused 
about what is sexuality. 

711
00:46:41,440 --> 00:46:45,040
Oftentimes they think it's 
expressing their sexuality the 

712
00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:46,880
way they feel they ought to 
express it. 

713
00:46:47,240 --> 00:46:51,760
While God is the author of life 
tells us how it should be 

714
00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:54,880
expressed because he has given 
that gift. 

715
00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:59,440
Now, therefore, the the document
says that any other type of 

716
00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:03,400
sexual behaviour outside of the 
context of marriage, be it 

717
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:07,920
premarital, extramarital, 
homosexual or any other sort, 

718
00:47:08,040 --> 00:47:11,080
there's a lot of, you know, 
different types Now coming 

719
00:47:11,080 --> 00:47:15,280
across the board. 
They constitute a sin against 

720
00:47:15,280 --> 00:47:21,280
the intent, the mind and the 
will of God as creator and 

721
00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:25,400
author of life, because 
obviously human sexuality is 

722
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:27,800
tied to the continuance of human
life. 

723
00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:32,200
Now Saint Paul says, and I think
it's worth reading in one 

724
00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:35,840
Corinthians 6, he says, know you
not that the unrighteous shall 

725
00:47:35,840 --> 00:47:39,480
not inherit the Kingdom of God, 
be not deceived, neither 

726
00:47:39,480 --> 00:47:43,520
fornicators nor idolaters, nor 
adulterers nor effeminate, nor 

727
00:47:43,520 --> 00:47:48,320
abusers of themselves with 
mankind, et cetera, will inherit

728
00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:51,320
the Kingdom of Christ. 
Know you not that your bodies 

729
00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:54,240
are the members of Christ. 
And yes, in baptism we are 

730
00:47:54,240 --> 00:47:56,640
sanctified in Christ, body and 
soul. 

731
00:47:57,160 --> 00:48:00,280
We are wedded, the soul of the 
believers wedded to Christ in 

732
00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:03,600
baptism. 
So taking human sexuality 

733
00:48:03,680 --> 00:48:06,800
outside of the context of 
marriage is sinful. 

734
00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:12,520
Now having said that, why do we 
have so much sin in the area of 

735
00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:15,400
human sexuality? 
Well, first and foremost it's 

736
00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:18,320
due to the the fall of the human
race. 

737
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:22,600
It's post lapsarian. 
Meaning when God gave the 

738
00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:25,520
commandment to Adam and Eve to 
be fruitful and multiply, they 

739
00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:29,960
were still in a state of grace 
if you will, and God had 

740
00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:35,040
implanted in in the nature of 
man various what we call 

741
00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:38,160
appetites. 
Desires. 

742
00:48:38,720 --> 00:48:41,440
Desires but appetites. 
Appetites are natural 

743
00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:45,720
inclinations or natural 
mechanisms, meaning God has 

744
00:48:45,720 --> 00:48:49,360
placed them there in order to 
sustain and continue a life. 

745
00:48:49,520 --> 00:48:55,160
So whether it's food, drink, 
hunger, thirst, even the sexual 

746
00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:59,600
appetite is in order to to 
continue the human race. 

747
00:49:00,520 --> 00:49:05,640
Now, because all of that is 
actualized after the fall, all 

748
00:49:05,640 --> 00:49:08,640
of the human appetites are in 
disarray. 

749
00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:13,280
So they've been. 
They've been as they say. 

750
00:49:13,320 --> 00:49:15,080
Messed up, yes, as one would 
say. 

751
00:49:15,760 --> 00:49:19,760
So in that sense, when we 
exercise them, we exercise them 

752
00:49:19,760 --> 00:49:26,280
as human beings after the fall 
and we do not have the proper or

753
00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:31,560
the the proper orientation, if 
you will, of the appetites and 

754
00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:36,840
all of the appetites when we 
cross the line of what God has 

755
00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:40,840
intended them to be or how 
there's to be exercised, that is

756
00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:43,480
where sin occurs. 
So for example, let's take 

757
00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:45,920
hunger. 
God has given us the appetite of

758
00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:50,800
hunger in order to continue our 
physical, corporeal, biological 

759
00:49:50,800 --> 00:49:53,840
life existence. 
If you do not eat, you'll die 

760
00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:58,720
generally as a rule. 
But if you overeat, if you 

761
00:49:58,720 --> 00:50:03,240
binge, if you gluttony, if you, 
you know, yes, now that's the 

762
00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:05,600
sin of gluttony. 
When that appetite is 

763
00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:08,160
disordered, then it becomes 
sinful. 

764
00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:11,840
And the same thing with 
sexuality as well. 

765
00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:15,320
When we do, when it's 
disordered, it becomes sinful. 

766
00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:19,760
And when it becomes sinful, that
then from an appetite, it moves 

767
00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:25,080
on to being what we call a 
passion in, in classical Syriac,

768
00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:28,520
we call it Khesheti Tanaya. 
And that term, that technical 

769
00:50:28,520 --> 00:50:31,840
term is actually mentioned in 
the liturgy of marriage. 

770
00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:36,040
One of the initial prayers at 
the beginning asks God to 

771
00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:39,640
protect the husband and wife 
from Heshiek Tanayev, from the 

772
00:50:40,240 --> 00:50:42,280
from the sinful passions. 
Why? 

773
00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:44,240
Because that appetite is now 
disordered. 

774
00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:49,120
And that's why we seek the grace
of Christ. 

775
00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:52,040
That's why we have the 
sacraments in order to battle 

776
00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:56,320
and to correct the passions that
are in US. 

777
00:50:57,560 --> 00:51:00,720
And so that's why human 
sexuality, when it's taken 

778
00:51:01,160 --> 00:51:04,960
outside of its proper context, 
intended by the author who is 

779
00:51:04,960 --> 00:51:08,200
God himself, then it becomes a 
passion. 

780
00:51:08,200 --> 00:51:11,560
It's a sinful passion. 
And then we're speaking about a 

781
00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:15,440
spiritual battle that with much 
prayer and fasting and 

782
00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:19,360
repentance and and the grace of 
God that comes to us through 

783
00:51:19,360 --> 00:51:22,160
Christ and his sacraments. 
We need that in order to battle 

784
00:51:22,160 --> 00:51:25,120
that passion. 
Your Holiness reading Genesis 

785
00:51:25,120 --> 00:51:29,720
chapter 1, when God is creating 
everything, the world and all 

786
00:51:29,720 --> 00:51:33,280
that we see in those this the 
Scripture specifically say that 

787
00:51:33,280 --> 00:51:36,520
God saw that everything was good
and something that is good in 

788
00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:40,120
the eye of God is perfect does 
not need any alteration. 

789
00:51:40,400 --> 00:51:43,560
You don't need to change it. 
And after the fall, obviously 

790
00:51:43,560 --> 00:51:47,680
everything was corrupted. 
And so as Your Holiness was 

791
00:51:47,680 --> 00:51:50,880
alluding, that man is now living
in that corruption and that's 

792
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:53,760
why there is all this confusion.
We need to go back to God's 

793
00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:57,040
goodness, I believe, and it will
go back to that perfection as 

794
00:51:57,040 --> 00:51:58,560
well with God. 
Exactly. 

795
00:51:58,560 --> 00:52:01,680
Many of the, you know, the 
sexual sins that we hear about 

796
00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:07,320
today, and some of them are so 
perverse that I'm sure they 

797
00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:10,760
didn't think about them 100 
years ago or so, is because man 

798
00:52:10,760 --> 00:52:15,800
is giving into his passions. 
We don't want to battle our 

799
00:52:15,800 --> 00:52:17,440
passions. 
We don't want to conquer our 

800
00:52:17,440 --> 00:52:21,840
passions through Christ. 
We're happy with our passions 

801
00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:27,040
and that's living in sin and in 
blindness so that one is not 

802
00:52:27,040 --> 00:52:30,400
able to come to repentance. 
And how beautiful is it your 

803
00:52:30,400 --> 00:52:34,240
holiness that God created men 
and women with a with a 

804
00:52:34,240 --> 00:52:40,400
compassion within them to to be 
attracted to one another, to you

805
00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:44,520
know, a, a specific type of love
brews in the heart of a man when

806
00:52:44,520 --> 00:52:48,120
he sees a a female and they 
become in love, they fall in 

807
00:52:48,120 --> 00:52:49,400
love. 
And we go through our own 

808
00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:55,200
tradition of, you know, 3 or 4 
gatherings just to ask for the 

809
00:52:55,200 --> 00:52:58,240
hand in marriage. 
And back home, the, the poor guy

810
00:52:58,240 --> 00:53:00,760
would be beaten by the brothers 
and the cousins 1st and then 

811
00:53:00,760 --> 00:53:04,200
they would ask him to come and 
officially ask for the, the 

812
00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:07,440
girls to hand in marriage. 
But it's, it's such a beautiful 

813
00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:10,040
creation that God knew 
everything, took care of 

814
00:53:10,040 --> 00:53:11,920
everything. 
And there's no need for anyone 

815
00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:15,480
to come and correct. 
And unfortunately, that is what 

816
00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:18,480
the disarray that we are in 
today, the mess that we are in 

817
00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:20,440
today, man, he's trying to 
correct what God. 

818
00:53:21,560 --> 00:53:24,560
Yes. 
And and of course our faithful 

819
00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:28,760
across the board, Christians in 
general, really fall into these 

820
00:53:28,760 --> 00:53:33,480
sins because again, their 
conscience is not being formed 

821
00:53:33,480 --> 00:53:37,800
and informed by what God is 
saying through the Scriptures 

822
00:53:37,800 --> 00:53:41,640
and the teaching of the church. 
It's being informed and formed 

823
00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:49,400
by tabloids, by what the news is
saying, by even maybe political 

824
00:53:49,520 --> 00:53:53,200
candidates or political persons 
are saying in order to get 

825
00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:57,200
votes. 
And so the conscience, once it's

826
00:53:57,200 --> 00:54:03,160
not formed in godliness, will 
definitely succumb to sin. 

827
00:54:05,720 --> 00:54:08,400
Your Holiness in regards to 
another question from Australia 

828
00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:12,480
in regards to homosexuality, can
Your Holiness officially declare

829
00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:14,080
the stance of the Church on 
this? 

830
00:54:15,160 --> 00:54:19,800
So, but I'm quite ridiculously 
justified abomination. 

831
00:54:20,120 --> 00:54:26,000
I was Born This Way I had the 
tendency of being homosexual and

832
00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:27,760
we know that is refuted 
medically. 

833
00:54:27,760 --> 00:54:31,320
There was AI recall reading in a
report many years ago, there was

834
00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:34,520
a research conducted for over 20
years and it was in Australia, 

835
00:54:34,520 --> 00:54:37,760
Your Holiness. 
And they concluded that no, the 

836
00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:43,680
the idea of being born because 
they tested hundreds of, of 

837
00:54:43,680 --> 00:54:50,080
twins who have the same DNA. 
And they concluded that no, it 

838
00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:55,360
is by choice because if, if 
twins are born twins, if one has

839
00:54:55,360 --> 00:54:59,680
that same from then both. 
So that's refuted. 

840
00:55:00,520 --> 00:55:03,680
But this ridiculous 
justification that I was born, I

841
00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:07,320
always had the tendency, where 
does the church stand for that? 

842
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:10,760
Well, obviously from when we 
look at it from a biological 

843
00:55:10,760 --> 00:55:15,280
perspective, you mentioned the 
genetic justification. 

844
00:55:15,280 --> 00:55:19,040
There cannot be any 
justification to say that one is

845
00:55:19,040 --> 00:55:21,800
born having that orientation 
because then that would be a 

846
00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:26,240
gene and you'd be able to 
identify that gene. 

847
00:55:26,640 --> 00:55:30,040
To my knowledge, there is no 
such gene that exists or has 

848
00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:33,600
been identified. 
There are genes for physical 

849
00:55:33,600 --> 00:55:37,480
maladies such as Down syndrome, 
such as other maladies. 

850
00:55:37,920 --> 00:55:41,480
Those are identifiable even 
before the child is born. 

851
00:55:42,280 --> 00:55:45,880
But to say that one sexual 
orientation is genetic and that 

852
00:55:45,880 --> 00:55:49,240
it's implanted in their genes, 
that's just simply nonsense. 

853
00:55:49,720 --> 00:55:53,640
And even medically or or 
physically has not been proven. 

854
00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:59,040
So that's from the medical 
perspective or from the from the

855
00:55:59,040 --> 00:56:02,680
physical perspective. 
Our of course, our our concern 

856
00:56:02,680 --> 00:56:06,960
more is the spiritual one. 
And the Scriptures, both the Old

857
00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:12,160
and the New Testament are very 
clear that the homosexuality and

858
00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:21,720
its variant types are a grave, 
grave sin against God, against 

859
00:56:21,960 --> 00:56:25,800
what God has intended 
homosexuality to be, which we 

860
00:56:25,800 --> 00:56:30,160
discussed previously. 
And the major, what is the major

861
00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:34,640
thing about that is that it is 
utterly close to the procreation

862
00:56:34,640 --> 00:56:38,960
of children. 
A homosexual couple or that come

863
00:56:38,960 --> 00:56:41,680
together in some type of union 
cannot procreate. 

864
00:56:41,960 --> 00:56:44,760
I mean, and the reason they 
cannot procreate is because 

865
00:56:44,760 --> 00:56:49,000
that's what God has willed it 
not to happen. 

866
00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:52,600
A man cannot bear a child and 
conceive a child and give birth 

867
00:56:52,600 --> 00:56:56,000
to a child. 
And two men marrying each other 

868
00:56:56,000 --> 00:57:00,080
or two women marrying each other
and adopting a child and saying,

869
00:57:00,080 --> 00:57:05,360
well, this is our child does not
constitute procreation, plain 

870
00:57:05,360 --> 00:57:08,880
and simple. 
And there is unfortunately there

871
00:57:08,880 --> 00:57:12,080
is a need to reiterate that. 
But the Scriptures is very are 

872
00:57:12,080 --> 00:57:15,040
are very clear on that. 
Saint Paul is very clear in his 

873
00:57:15,400 --> 00:57:19,800
epistles, even though today 
people don't want to hear that 

874
00:57:19,800 --> 00:57:23,560
and they make up excuses such as
Saint Paul was his thinking was 

875
00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:27,600
antiquated or the social context
has changed now? 

876
00:57:27,600 --> 00:57:32,480
No. 
So homosexuality, especially 

877
00:57:32,480 --> 00:57:37,240
lived homosexuality is very, 
very brave, sinfully against 

878
00:57:37,240 --> 00:57:38,160
God. 
Who is the author. 

879
00:57:38,160 --> 00:57:41,840
Now having said that, there are 
people who have that 

880
00:57:41,880 --> 00:57:46,800
inclinations or same sex 
attraction or the homosexual 

881
00:57:46,800 --> 00:57:51,320
attraction or they have that 
thinking, but they do not act on

882
00:57:51,320 --> 00:57:57,160
it. 
Now such persons are definitely 

883
00:57:58,680 --> 00:58:02,080
the need of the grace of God. 
So they have an inner 

884
00:58:02,080 --> 00:58:06,480
inclination which generally 
comes from the way they are 

885
00:58:06,480 --> 00:58:11,320
brought up from the environment 
that they were brought up in, 

886
00:58:11,760 --> 00:58:14,280
and there are various attributes
to that. 

887
00:58:14,760 --> 00:58:18,240
It could be the home setting. 
Was there a mother and a father 

888
00:58:18,240 --> 00:58:19,720
in the home? 
Was it only a mother in the 

889
00:58:19,720 --> 00:58:22,120
home? 
It could be the school setting. 

890
00:58:22,120 --> 00:58:25,920
Was this child mostly around 
girls or was he mostly around 

891
00:58:25,920 --> 00:58:28,680
boys? 
Or when there is some sort of 

892
00:58:29,200 --> 00:58:32,960
disorder in the, in the 
nurturing of the child growing 

893
00:58:32,960 --> 00:58:36,920
up in the various aspects of the
environment around him, they 

894
00:58:36,920 --> 00:58:41,640
contribute to his or her 
orientation in, in terms of 

895
00:58:41,640 --> 00:58:44,400
homosexuality. 
Now, again, there are people 

896
00:58:44,400 --> 00:58:48,200
that do not act on it, but they 
have that inclination and they 

897
00:58:48,200 --> 00:58:53,000
engage in an internal struggle 
with themselves or with their 

898
00:58:53,000 --> 00:58:55,840
passions. 
And of course, the Church 

899
00:58:55,840 --> 00:58:58,160
doesn't bar such people from 
Holy Communion. 

900
00:58:58,600 --> 00:59:01,920
In fact, because they're engaged
in such a struggle, they need 

901
00:59:01,920 --> 00:59:06,600
the grace of God in order to 
battle that evil inclination 

902
00:59:06,600 --> 00:59:09,200
that's there. 
For those who are now crying 

903
00:59:09,200 --> 00:59:12,720
out, well, Jesus said if you 
commit a sin in your mind, if 

904
00:59:12,720 --> 00:59:15,240
you lost on a woman in your mind
you have already committed a 

905
00:59:15,240 --> 00:59:17,240
sin. 
Will they fall in the same 

906
00:59:17,240 --> 00:59:21,600
category? 
Homosexual inclination. 

907
00:59:22,520 --> 00:59:25,480
Well, heterosexuals that do that
or homosexuals that do that, of 

908
00:59:25,480 --> 00:59:28,800
course that's that's sinful. 
I mean, Christ roots out sin 

909
00:59:28,800 --> 00:59:33,600
from the very heart of of man. 
But again, there are certain 

910
00:59:33,600 --> 00:59:35,240
people that are struggling with 
it. 

911
00:59:35,480 --> 00:59:39,440
They for some reason, maybe by 
the grace of God, do not want to

912
00:59:39,880 --> 00:59:43,840
accept it, but they have the 
inclination because of certain 

913
00:59:43,840 --> 00:59:48,800
reasons of their growing up. 
And so the best thing that they 

914
00:59:48,800 --> 00:59:50,640
ought to do is to seek the grace
of God. 

915
00:59:52,120 --> 00:59:55,520
Now those that are living in a 
homosexual union, which is not 

916
00:59:55,520 --> 00:59:59,400
marriage, a homosexual union, 
whether of two men or of two 

917
00:59:59,400 --> 01:00:02,960
women, cannot be equated with 
marriage. 

918
01:00:03,840 --> 01:00:07,040
The state law may allow that, or
may call it so. 

919
01:00:07,400 --> 01:00:08,560
The Church. 
Does not the. 

920
01:00:09,240 --> 01:00:11,920
Church does not, which is the 
expression of God's law. 

921
01:00:12,360 --> 01:00:17,840
It is not a marriage, it is a 
sinful union, and the Church 

922
01:00:18,240 --> 01:00:20,600
cautions her children against 
such acts. 

923
01:00:20,600 --> 01:00:24,160
And the Church always provides 
the door of repentance to be 

924
01:00:24,160 --> 01:00:27,520
open for all those. 
After having said all of this, 

925
01:00:27,520 --> 01:00:32,240
of course, and some people might
take this as a condemnation and 

926
01:00:32,240 --> 01:00:35,760
this a little statement is very 
clear that in making these 

927
01:00:35,760 --> 01:00:38,440
clarifications we are not 
condemning persons. 

928
01:00:39,400 --> 01:00:42,480
The ACT is being contempt. 
So homosexuality as an act is 

929
01:00:42,480 --> 01:00:46,080
definitely worthy of being 
condemned because the Scriptures

930
01:00:46,080 --> 01:00:49,920
condemn it, God condemns it, but
we are not condemning persons 

931
01:00:49,960 --> 01:00:52,040
and that we are inviting them to
repentance. 

932
01:00:53,600 --> 01:00:59,480
And one of the sacraments of the
Church of Hussiah solution in 

933
01:00:59,480 --> 01:01:02,800
the West, they call it 
reconciliation, is a great, 

934
01:01:02,840 --> 01:01:06,880
great spiritual remedy that 
ought to be used for people that

935
01:01:06,880 --> 01:01:10,160
are living in such relationships
that are illicit. 

936
01:01:10,200 --> 01:01:12,400
And in any scene. 
Any other sin of? 

937
01:01:12,480 --> 01:01:20,120
Course, you mentioned two women 
marrying and adopting a child 

938
01:01:20,120 --> 01:01:21,960
and claiming that that is their 
child. 

939
01:01:22,360 --> 01:01:25,280
They must remember that that 
child's origin was from a male 

940
01:01:25,280 --> 01:01:28,240
and a female use of it wasn't 
from a male and a male or a 

941
01:01:28,240 --> 01:01:31,560
female and a female referring to
your Eucharist, Your Holiness, 

942
01:01:31,680 --> 01:01:34,360
which is my next question. 
Reframing from the Holy 

943
01:01:34,360 --> 01:01:38,400
Eucharist, are those who are 
actively engaged in a homosexual

944
01:01:38,720 --> 01:01:44,280
or heterosexual or cohabitation 
relationship, that is union 

945
01:01:44,280 --> 01:01:48,160
outside of Holy Matrimony, are 
they permitted to be present? 

946
01:01:48,160 --> 01:01:51,320
Not only part taken Eucharist, 
are they to be permitted firstly

947
01:01:51,600 --> 01:01:54,320
to be present during the Divine 
Liturgy? 

948
01:01:54,320 --> 01:01:57,600
That is the first half, the 
hallowing of the Word until the 

949
01:01:57,600 --> 01:02:00,600
dismissal of a catechumens, they
are permitted to be there. 

950
01:02:00,600 --> 01:02:03,000
Is that correct? 
Before I answer that, I want to 

951
01:02:03,000 --> 01:02:05,760
go to the the point of 
cohabitation, which you 

952
01:02:05,760 --> 01:02:07,040
mentioned. 
And of course the document 

953
01:02:07,040 --> 01:02:09,480
speaks about it. 
So nowadays we see, 

954
01:02:09,480 --> 01:02:12,840
unfortunately, even among our 
own faithful, we see this 

955
01:02:14,560 --> 01:02:17,800
phenomena that younger couples 
are coming together and say, 

956
01:02:18,000 --> 01:02:21,040
well, you know, we want to try 
and see if our marriage will 

957
01:02:21,040 --> 01:02:23,400
work in the future. 
So we're going to live together,

958
01:02:24,680 --> 01:02:28,400
cohabitation and they live 
together as if they were 

959
01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:31,560
married, but not having the 
blessings of marriage. 

960
01:02:32,280 --> 01:02:36,160
Obviously that's a sin. 
That's a grave sin because what 

961
01:02:36,160 --> 01:02:41,360
are the chances that that man 
and woman can live as brother 

962
01:02:41,360 --> 01:02:44,520
and sister together in one house
or under one roof and. 

963
01:02:44,720 --> 01:02:46,800
Not be tempted. 
And not be tempted in order to 

964
01:02:46,800 --> 01:02:49,840
see if their their potential 
marriage in the future will work

965
01:02:49,840 --> 01:02:52,600
out. 
That's not how you prepare for a

966
01:02:52,600 --> 01:02:56,240
marriage. 
Prepare for a marriage first and

967
01:02:56,240 --> 01:02:59,560
foremost by working on yourself,
not seeing if you can live with 

968
01:02:59,560 --> 01:03:03,960
the next person. 
And for engaged couples or 

969
01:03:03,960 --> 01:03:08,080
betrothed couples who holiday, 
go on a holiday together and 

970
01:03:08,080 --> 01:03:13,280
they share the same hotel room 
under the the understanding that

971
01:03:13,280 --> 01:03:17,160
well, we're we are engaged and 
we will be married one day. 

972
01:03:17,560 --> 01:03:19,840
That is also condemned. 
Well, if they're engaged, they 

973
01:03:19,840 --> 01:03:25,080
have to be even more careful 
because then again, they are 

974
01:03:25,080 --> 01:03:28,600
creating a misconception of what
married life and the blessings 

975
01:03:28,600 --> 01:03:31,560
of married life and the 
blessings of a married sexual 

976
01:03:31,560 --> 01:03:34,560
union means. 
If they're doing that at at the 

977
01:03:34,560 --> 01:03:38,520
engagement state of their 
relationship, it's just as as 

978
01:03:38,560 --> 01:03:41,360
evil. 
But cohabitation is is addressed

979
01:03:41,360 --> 01:03:43,920
by the document. 
And of course, unfortunately, 

980
01:03:43,920 --> 01:03:46,960
that's that's a phenomena we're 
seeing gradually increasing 

981
01:03:46,960 --> 01:03:50,920
among our younger couples that 
are coming together and they 

982
01:03:50,920 --> 01:03:55,480
need to be really careful of it 
because you know that leading 

983
01:03:55,480 --> 01:03:58,640
generally leading to 
fornication, basically. 

984
01:03:59,240 --> 01:04:02,080
And yes, those who are engaged 
in all these types of 

985
01:04:02,080 --> 01:04:04,360
relationships are not to take 
communion. 

986
01:04:04,840 --> 01:04:10,480
In fact, the priest should the 
Paris priest should guide them 

987
01:04:10,840 --> 01:04:13,680
against taking Holy Communion as
long as they're living in such a

988
01:04:13,680 --> 01:04:16,240
relationship. 
So that they do not sleep or 

989
01:04:16,240 --> 01:04:19,320
become I'll. 
Speaks about that in First 

990
01:04:19,320 --> 01:04:23,000
Corinthians. 
Now they can be present in the 

991
01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:25,920
celebration of the Holy 
Eucharist of the Qurban 

992
01:04:25,920 --> 01:04:30,920
Accreditia, and they ought to be
present in a prayerful spirit. 

993
01:04:31,040 --> 01:04:35,640
So whether one is battling 
homosexuality or 1 is a 

994
01:04:35,640 --> 01:04:39,440
heterosexual who is engaged in 
many relationships and sexual 

995
01:04:39,440 --> 01:04:42,200
unions that are illicit, that 
are outside adultery as well 

996
01:04:42,240 --> 01:04:45,760
adultery and fornication, or one
who's cohabitating, they need to

997
01:04:45,760 --> 01:04:50,360
be there in a prayerful spirit 
begging for the grace of Christ 

998
01:04:51,720 --> 01:04:55,760
because without that they cannot
battle their sin, whatever that 

999
01:04:55,760 --> 01:04:58,520
sin might be. 
Until the dismissal of the 

1000
01:04:58,520 --> 01:05:00,800
catechumens or they are 
permitted to stay during the 

1001
01:05:00,800 --> 01:05:01,760
whole. 
Service and that they're 

1002
01:05:01,760 --> 01:05:03,040
baptized. 
They can. 

1003
01:05:03,120 --> 01:05:07,840
They haven't been interdicted 
formally unless there's a grave 

1004
01:05:07,840 --> 01:05:10,360
issue where they've been told 
not to be present. 

1005
01:05:10,360 --> 01:05:13,880
But if they're there, the reason
that they're coming is in order 

1006
01:05:13,880 --> 01:05:18,240
to meet Christ. 
Now, because they're in such a 

1007
01:05:18,240 --> 01:05:20,760
relationship, they cannot meet 
Christ fully. 

1008
01:05:22,320 --> 01:05:26,320
But again, Christ doesn't shut 
the door in their face because 

1009
01:05:26,320 --> 01:05:29,480
the Church, as Saint John Chrys 
System says, is a medical 

1010
01:05:29,480 --> 01:05:31,840
hospital. 
It's a spiritual hospital 

1011
01:05:31,840 --> 01:05:34,040
together for those who are 
living in sin. 

1012
01:05:34,040 --> 01:05:37,600
So the Church will not shun them
out in that way, but they must 

1013
01:05:37,600 --> 01:05:42,080
refrain from taking Holy 
Communion until with the grace 

1014
01:05:42,080 --> 01:05:46,080
of Christ, with much prayer and 
fasting and repentance, they 

1015
01:05:46,080 --> 01:05:48,080
have been able to overcome that 
sin. 

1016
01:05:49,200 --> 01:05:53,560
Your Holiness repentance to 
close off with is briefly what 

1017
01:05:53,560 --> 01:05:57,000
is the process just say a prayer
and you're forgiven or the 

1018
01:05:57,000 --> 01:06:00,680
church has its own process 
Liturgy of the absolution for 

1019
01:06:00,920 --> 01:06:04,400
grieve sins and mortal sins as 
the Bible refers to. 

1020
01:06:04,720 --> 01:06:07,880
Can you please guide us through 
the the process to conclude 

1021
01:06:07,880 --> 01:06:10,280
well? 
Since the early Church, there 

1022
01:06:10,280 --> 01:06:14,680
were three what were called 
grave or major sins that 

1023
01:06:16,360 --> 01:06:19,280
basically shunned one from 
participation in the Eucharist 

1024
01:06:19,920 --> 01:06:24,040
and that was denying your 
Christian faith, murder and 

1025
01:06:24,040 --> 01:06:27,080
adultery. 
Those three were the the grave 

1026
01:06:27,080 --> 01:06:31,360
sins where one was considered 
not fully excommunicated, but 

1027
01:06:31,360 --> 01:06:33,320
suspended from the communion of 
the Church. 

1028
01:06:34,200 --> 01:06:39,960
So those are incumbent upon one 
who's engaged them in order to 

1029
01:06:39,960 --> 01:06:44,480
come and to show to the 
priesthood of the church what 

1030
01:06:44,480 --> 01:06:47,560
wounds that person has. 
Which is confession, what we're 

1031
01:06:47,560 --> 01:06:49,720
talking? 
Which is confessing to God 

1032
01:06:49,720 --> 01:06:53,440
through the priesthood that one 
has been spitten with either of 

1033
01:06:53,440 --> 01:06:56,080
those sins. 
And then the priest ought to 

1034
01:06:56,080 --> 01:07:00,000
give that penitent the right 
understanding and spiritual 

1035
01:07:00,000 --> 01:07:03,240
guidance to still refrain from 
thinking Holy Community. 

1036
01:07:03,240 --> 01:07:06,600
Because then he, that person 
needs to begin a life of 

1037
01:07:06,600 --> 01:07:08,960
repentance, the path to 
repentance. 

1038
01:07:09,400 --> 01:07:16,520
And that entails much prayer, 
much fasting, avoiding all of 

1039
01:07:16,520 --> 01:07:19,160
the occasions that have brought 
him or her to that sin 

1040
01:07:19,160 --> 01:07:21,680
originally. 
So it's a change of mind. 

1041
01:07:21,680 --> 01:07:24,600
Repentance, of course, is a 
change of mind before it's a 

1042
01:07:24,600 --> 01:07:29,320
change of, of life. 
And then gradually, as the 

1043
01:07:29,320 --> 01:07:33,400
priest accompanies that person 
on that journey of repentance 

1044
01:07:33,400 --> 01:07:36,720
and coming back to Christ, then 
the priest be able to say that 

1045
01:07:36,720 --> 01:07:40,280
now you are able to take Holy 
Communion and he will give him 

1046
01:07:40,280 --> 01:07:44,040
the, the, the service or the, 
the right of absolution, 

1047
01:07:44,040 --> 01:07:47,840
absolving that person from 
whatever sin that they've been, 

1048
01:07:48,400 --> 01:07:50,920
they've been enslaved to. 
And then they may fully 

1049
01:07:50,920 --> 01:07:53,680
participate in the life of the 
Church by taking Holy Community.

1050
01:07:53,920 --> 01:07:57,800
And that is again through the 
confessing to the to the priest,

1051
01:07:57,800 --> 01:08:01,320
to the priesthood of the Church 
and and receiving the 

1052
01:08:01,320 --> 01:08:07,480
disciplinary action and which 
ends brings that person to the 

1053
01:08:07,480 --> 01:08:09,480
absolution, the liturgy of 
absolution. 

1054
01:08:09,520 --> 01:08:13,520
Then being fully reconciled to. 
The record and one last point is

1055
01:08:13,520 --> 01:08:18,240
when the priest is absolving, 
the priest does not claim that 

1056
01:08:18,240 --> 01:08:22,520
he is absolving, but that that 
person is absolved through 

1057
01:08:22,520 --> 01:08:24,880
Christ. 
Yes, it's the Holy Spirit 

1058
01:08:25,520 --> 01:08:27,800
working through the 
instrumentality of the priest. 

1059
01:08:27,800 --> 01:08:36,040
Now we have the the onita, the 
antiphon, so the the medicine of

1060
01:08:36,040 --> 01:08:43,000
repentance our Lord has given to
the learned physicians who are 

1061
01:08:43,000 --> 01:08:45,319
the priests of the Church. 
Whoever is smitten, let him come

1062
01:08:45,319 --> 01:08:50,000
and show his wounds, show his 
deficiencies, show his ailments 

1063
01:08:50,640 --> 01:08:56,160
to these physicians who are the 
priests, the disciples of the 

1064
01:08:56,160 --> 01:08:59,720
physician who was Christ. 
And then they will prescribe the

1065
01:09:00,479 --> 01:09:02,319
they will the life giving 
medicine, the spiritual 

1066
01:09:02,399 --> 01:09:05,520
medicines. 
Holy Christ, Your Holiness, once

1067
01:09:05,520 --> 01:09:09,520
again, thank you. 
Your last advice and your 

1068
01:09:09,520 --> 01:09:14,720
spiritual, your spiritual 
paternal advice to those who are

1069
01:09:14,720 --> 01:09:20,640
struggling, maybe not engaged in
in what we've spoken about but 

1070
01:09:20,640 --> 01:09:22,960
are struggling and having a lot 
of issues. 

1071
01:09:23,359 --> 01:09:26,399
What would your advice be to 
your children who are in that 

1072
01:09:26,399 --> 01:09:30,800
predicament? 
To sum it up, I would use the 

1073
01:09:30,800 --> 01:09:33,800
words of Saint Paul. 
Do not be conformed to the mind 

1074
01:09:33,800 --> 01:09:37,240
or the way of the world. 
Many of our youngsters 

1075
01:09:37,240 --> 01:09:41,399
especially, and well, many those
who are older in age as well, 

1076
01:09:42,000 --> 01:09:49,439
succumb to to the ills of, of 
sexual sin because they are far 

1077
01:09:49,439 --> 01:09:53,160
away from Christ, because 
they're far from the Scriptures,

1078
01:09:53,160 --> 01:09:57,600
they're far from the church. 
And when one distances himself 

1079
01:09:57,600 --> 01:10:02,560
from Christ in the church, then 
he becomes open in a plaything 

1080
01:10:02,560 --> 01:10:04,960
for the devil, the prodigal son.
Yes. 

1081
01:10:05,760 --> 01:10:09,360
And so the church calls all of 
her children to repentance, 

1082
01:10:10,000 --> 01:10:13,320
whether they, whether they are 
heterosexuals engaged in sin and

1083
01:10:13,320 --> 01:10:16,960
illicit sexual unions, whether 
they're homosexuals who are 

1084
01:10:16,960 --> 01:10:21,880
engaged in illicit sins, because
that is a perversion against 

1085
01:10:21,880 --> 01:10:27,160
nature. 
Both of them entail sins coming 

1086
01:10:27,160 --> 01:10:29,960
about because of fallen nature, 
but homosexuality is a 

1087
01:10:29,960 --> 01:10:34,320
perversion against nature, the 
way that God, as the author of 

1088
01:10:34,320 --> 01:10:39,600
life has intended it to be. 
And so that carries a greater 

1089
01:10:39,600 --> 01:10:41,440
burden upon it. 
And of course, the church 

1090
01:10:41,440 --> 01:10:45,960
accompanies her children, not by
condemning them, but by 

1091
01:10:45,960 --> 01:10:48,760
awakening their conscience. 
And that is the role of the 

1092
01:10:48,760 --> 01:10:51,480
church. 
Often times that's not very 

1093
01:10:51,480 --> 01:10:53,080
pleasant. 
We don't like it. 

1094
01:10:54,320 --> 01:10:56,760
Why should the church be 
involved in our private life? 

1095
01:10:56,760 --> 01:10:59,680
Well, because God is there in 
your private life. 

1096
01:11:00,800 --> 01:11:03,560
The psalmist says, where can I 
escape from you? 

1097
01:11:03,560 --> 01:11:07,920
If I go into the depths, you're 
there and you think God won't be

1098
01:11:07,920 --> 01:11:11,360
in, in the space that you're 
occupying, He has given you that

1099
01:11:11,360 --> 01:11:13,280
life. 
God says if you're in the depth,

1100
01:11:13,280 --> 01:11:16,440
I will send a scorpion and it 
will bite you safely. 

1101
01:11:16,440 --> 01:11:18,400
Yeah. 
Well, God is everywhere, God 

1102
01:11:18,400 --> 01:11:23,560
sees all things, so there is no 
way that we can hide from God. 

1103
01:11:24,520 --> 01:11:29,160
To him, all our thoughts and 
actions are as open as a book. 

1104
01:11:30,360 --> 01:11:34,280
And so therefore we need to come
to God in repentance. 

1105
01:11:34,280 --> 01:11:36,640
And that's what the Church, 
that's what this synodal 

1106
01:11:36,640 --> 01:11:39,280
statement is doing. 
It's calling her children in 

1107
01:11:39,280 --> 01:11:41,720
love and perfect love to 
repentance. 

1108
01:11:42,800 --> 01:11:46,400
And and of course the repentance
will bring us to holiness and we

1109
01:11:46,400 --> 01:11:50,080
all have to do that. 
But then again, of course, there

1110
01:11:50,080 --> 01:11:56,480
are certain sins which for lack 
of a better description, are as 

1111
01:11:56,480 --> 01:12:01,680
if it 1 was slapping God in the 
face to equate Christian 

1112
01:12:01,680 --> 01:12:04,840
marriage. 
That's blessed by the prayers of

1113
01:12:04,840 --> 01:12:08,200
the Church and and and 
sanctioned by God. 

1114
01:12:08,560 --> 01:12:12,920
To equate that with a homosexual
union is like slapping God in 

1115
01:12:12,920 --> 01:12:15,400
the face. 
It's like saying you got it 

1116
01:12:15,400 --> 01:12:16,960
wrong, we got it, we have it 
right. 

1117
01:12:17,080 --> 01:12:20,600
And so there is a grave 
disparity there, and that's 

1118
01:12:20,600 --> 01:12:23,280
where repentance is very, very 
much needed. 

1119
01:12:23,600 --> 01:12:27,280
The Sinner is not condemned. 
The sin is condemned, yet the 

1120
01:12:27,280 --> 01:12:29,720
Sinner can be rebuked and 
admonished by the church. 

1121
01:12:29,720 --> 01:12:31,640
Some people the. 
Church, the church rebukes, and 

1122
01:12:31,640 --> 01:12:33,320
the church has the authority to 
rebuke in. 

1123
01:12:33,320 --> 01:12:36,360
Christ himself gave that 
authority to the church. 

1124
01:12:36,640 --> 01:12:41,120
Condemnation is God's job. 
We don't condemn anyone of the 

1125
01:12:41,120 --> 01:12:43,360
ultimate judgement. 
Condemnation belongs to God. 

1126
01:12:43,360 --> 01:12:45,640
But rebuke is what the church 
does. 

1127
01:12:46,040 --> 01:12:48,880
Just like a loving parent, 
loving father, and a loving 

1128
01:12:48,880 --> 01:12:52,280
mother will rebuke their child 
when they see them doing wrong. 

1129
01:12:53,280 --> 01:12:55,080
They won't encourage them and 
they're wrong. 

1130
01:12:55,880 --> 01:12:57,760
And that's what the church is 
trying to do as well. 

1131
01:12:59,600 --> 01:13:02,160
You Holiness, I'm sure there's 
many other questions, but we'd 

1132
01:13:02,160 --> 01:13:04,880
be here for hours. 
And if we do receive any 

1133
01:13:04,880 --> 01:13:07,920
questions from viewers and 
listeners, we'd be more than 

1134
01:13:07,920 --> 01:13:14,200
happy to refer them to Asha 
Aprem who who drafted the the 

1135
01:13:14,200 --> 01:13:17,720
statement or we will consult you
when you're here on your next 

1136
01:13:17,720 --> 01:13:20,200
visit, You Holiness. 
And please do promise us every 

1137
01:13:20,200 --> 01:13:23,600
time you're here, you will bless
us with the episode of podcasts.

1138
01:13:23,600 --> 01:13:25,080
And we're in the committee's 
Holiness now. 

1139
01:13:25,080 --> 01:13:29,440
It'll be my joy to do so. 
I can't promise because the 

1140
01:13:29,440 --> 01:13:32,760
future is never in our hands. 
Yes, you are. 

1141
01:13:32,760 --> 01:13:33,960
But you can ask me when I'm 
here. 

1142
01:13:34,320 --> 01:13:38,760
Yes, definitely our viewers 
viewers enjoy and appreciate 

1143
01:13:38,760 --> 01:13:41,360
when Your Holiness is it's. 
Always my joy to be. 

1144
01:13:41,640 --> 01:13:44,080
With you and we ask that you 
always keep this ministry and 

1145
01:13:44,080 --> 01:13:46,840
every ministry within the church
in your prayers. 

1146
01:13:46,920 --> 01:13:50,640
And if your Holiness can now 
bless us with a prayer. 

1147
01:13:50,640 --> 01:13:54,000
And once again, we thank you, 
Your Holiness, and thank you 

1148
01:13:54,000 --> 01:13:55,680
for. 
God bless you all. 

1149
01:13:55,680 --> 01:13:58,840
Thank you fashion, and it's my 
joy to have been known on this 

1150
01:13:58,840 --> 01:14:00,600
podcast. 
And may the Lord bless all of 

1151
01:14:00,600 --> 01:14:03,160
the the listeners and the 
viewers as well. 

1152
01:14:03,640 --> 01:14:06,600
And I invoke the blessing of 
Almighty God the Father, the 

1153
01:14:06,600 --> 01:14:10,080
Son, and the Holy Spirit upon 
each and every one of us. 

1154
01:14:10,280 --> 01:14:11,360
God bless you all. 
Amen. 

1155
01:14:11,400 --> 01:14:39,780
Thank you all. 
We hope you enjoyed this week's 

1156
01:14:39,780 --> 01:14:42,100
message. 
Please don't forget to rate and 

1157
01:14:42,100 --> 01:14:44,820
review this podcast and share 
with your friends and family. 

1158
01:14:45,100 --> 01:14:48,540
For any future topic suggestions
or to give us detailed feedback,

1159
01:14:48,860 --> 01:14:51,100
please visit our link in the 
show notes. 

1160
01:14:51,460 --> 01:14:55,820
Linktr dot EE forward slash 
double edged sword. 

1161
01:14:56,300 --> 01:14:58,020
Until next time, God bless you 
all.