A Greek bishop has been given a seven-month suspended jail sentence for inciting homophobic hatred and abusing ecclesiastical office. Bishop Amvrosios of Kalavryta, whose name is Athanassios Lenis, appeared in front of a three-member misdemeanour court in the town of Aigio on Monday (January 28), reports the English-language version of Greek newspaper Kathimerini. The case against the 79-year-old Greek bishop dates back to 2015, when the country was in the midst of discussing a civil partnership bill that eventually passed on December 22 that year. The Greek Orthodox Church was generally opposed to the bill, but Bishop Amvrosios was particularly vocal about his dissent. In a written address published on his blog in December 2015, the Greek bishop labeled LGBT+ people “the dregs of society” and called on his followers to “spit on them.”