Metropolitan of Glyfada Claims He was Unaware of Gay Baptism

The Metropolitan of Glyfada, Antonios, claims that he was unaware of all of the details regarding the Greek Orthodox baptism that Archbishop of America Elpidophoros conducted for the children of a gay couple on Saturday.

Evanggelos Bousis and Peter Dundas, both of Greek descent, became the first gay couple to hold a Greek Orthodox Baptism for their children in Greece on Saturday.

The couple’s children, Alexios and Eleni, were baptized by his Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at the Panagia Faneromeni Church in the southern Athenian suburb of Vouliagmeni.

Metropolitan of Glyfada claims he did not know parents of children were gay in response to uproar over Greek Orthodox baptism

The Metropolitan claims that Archbishop Elpidophoros did not inform him that the parents of the children were a gay couple when he requested permission to baptize the children in a message to the Holy Synod.

“I didn’t know what the archbishop of America would do,” Antonios wrote to the governing body of the Greek Orthodox Church.

He continued that he was sending the letter to the Holy Synod in response to the “uproar” caused by the baptism. He also noted that he was not present at the ceremony.

“Yesterday was truly a special moment not only for my family and me but for our entire Greek Orthodox Church…Thank you to our great spiritual leader, his Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, for christening the babies and not turning away any child or member of our faith,” George Bousis, brother of Evanggelos Bousis, wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

“This is the progress and leadership we need in our church, where no person should ever be denied our Lord because of what they are, how they choose to live their lives, and who they love,” he stated.

Dundas and Bousis are well-known figures in the fashion world. Dundas is a designer and has worked for big names like Roberto Cavalli, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Emilio Pucci. He also started his own label, Dundas, and even dressed Beyonce at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Bousis, his husband, is also his partner in business.