Equality

The Orthodox Church vehemently denounces any type of discrimination against persons based solely upon race, sex, gender, or creed. As such, the Church fully believes in the sacredness of the person as a vessel “of the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos of blessed memory, a champion of civil and human rights in the modern era, reiterates this point by stating that “the Church has never hesitated to fight, when it felt it must, for the rights of mankind.”

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council (GOAC) has advocated has advocated as a non-governmental organization (NGO) at the United Nations on the issues of equality. Currently, the GOAC is a contributing member of the following NGO Committees related to this topic:

• NGO Commission on the Status of Women (NGO CSW)
• NGO Committee on Social Development (NGO CSocD)
• NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons (NGO CSTIP)
• NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion and Belief (NGO FORB)
• NGO Mining Working Group (NGO MWG)