The Deputy Head of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations noted that he was very sad to see how sport is subjected to unprecedented ideologization
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The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) fully supports Philadelphia hockey player Ivan Provorov’s refusal to wear a uniform in support of the LGBT community. About it TASS said Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy head of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media of the Moscow Patriarchate.
“Everything related to LGBT is an obsessive ideology intolerant of dissent these days. It is sad that sport is now undergoing unheard-of ideologization, where there should be fair competition, and not a heap of propaganda clichés. We sincerely support Provorov, he defends his freedom, his Christian identity. It will be difficult for him to resist the ideological moloch alone, but I want to believe that among his teammates there are still brave Christians who will take his position,” Kipshidze said.
Russian defender of the Philadelphia Flyers club of the National Hockey League (NHL) Ivan Provorov refused take part in an action in support of the LGBT community at the rehearsal before the match with the Anaheim Ducks.
After the match, Philadelphia’s head coach John Tortorella said that Provorov’s absence from the pre-match reel was due to the player’s refusal to wear a sweater with symbols in support of the LGBT community.
Provorov himself noted that his refusal to wear a sweater in support of LGBT was not intended as an insult to representatives of these communities. “I respect everyone, I respect the choice of everyone. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. I am an Orthodox person, ”said the defender at a press conference.
