The Church is a political organization which claims God to be on its side
They've been that way since not long after their founding, if even that.
Note that this priest has a congregation in the south. There must be
a lot of pressure from all the Protestant groups around them to act
and think more conservatively and outspokenly in this area, or they
have simply absorbed the local culture to a high degree.
The main difference is that he very likely did not consult with his
superiors before making such a public statement. The higher ups
may agree with him in private, but they probably won't be very
happy with him jumping the gun like that.