Romanian Millionaire Priest Running for Euro Parliament on Anti-Gay Platform

Fun Fact: Anti-gay Romanian Orthodox priests are exempt from vows of poverty.

Iulian Capsali, a former U.S. lawyer turned Romanian Orthodox priest with a personal fortune of �1.6 million ($2.2 million USD) has gathered over 120,000 signatures to be registered as an independent candidate for a Member of European Parliament to represent "traditional family values," Gay Star News reports.

Branding himself as "the candidate of the Romanian family," Capsali plans to campaign against abortion and gay rights.

As reported by EurActiv.com, Capsali says, "The 'homosexual ideology' leads to the destruction of the family at global level."

"They want to be given some rights at the expense of our rights, of the Christian families' rights. The famous Lunacek report [Ulrike Lunacek is an Austrian Green MEP, author of the LGBT Roadmap reports] says that a child at birth doesn't have a clear identity. That it is something fluid. And that family, culture, the environment give the child its sexuality, which is a fallacy. They say boys should be wearing skirts", Capsali says.

The Romanian Orthodox Church is the most prevalent religion in Romania. So far it has remained out of politics. Capsali has said he isn't bothered by the fact that the Church prohibits priests from party policies, or electoral campaigning. He's hoping the Church will bring him votes.

The 766 member European Parliament is the directly elected legislature of the European Union. In the past there have been unsuccessful attempts to create an "Orthodox unity" involving MEPs from Greece, Bulgaria and Romania.

Gay Star News reports a 2012 survey found that over half of Romanian people, 53%, would prefer homosexuality to be illegal.