Greece’s centre-right government announced on Thursday that it will follow through on a pledge to legalise same-sex marriage, defying the country’s powerful Orthodox Church.
According to AP News, government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis says the law will be introduced in parliament during the current session, which ends in 2027.
The announcement comes after the Church’s ruling Holy Synod delivered a 1,500-word document late Wednesday opposing the measure.
The Church’s major concern was how children would be regarded by same-sex couples.
“Children are not companion pets for those who wish to feel like a guardian, and are not ‘accessories’ to formalize or make same-sex cohabitation socially acceptable,” the Church circular said.
In response, Marinakis said “we always listen to the opinions of the Church with respect.”
“But at the same time, we are implementing our policy, and will listen to the views of society, civil society, the citizenry, institutions, and parties in total,” he added.
Despite the country’s legalisation of same-sex civil unions in 2015, Greeks are evenly split on same-sex marriage, according to opinion polls, but they are against giving homosexual couples full parenting rights.
Source: AP News
