Ecumenical Patriarchate rejects same-sex marriage legislation
The Ecumenical Patriarchate expressed its opposition to the proposed bill on same-sex marriage in an official statement on Wednesday.
The statement notes that “the Church does not accept within its members any form of cohabitation of the same or opposite sex other than marriage,” which is understood as “the union of man and woman in Christ.”
On Tuesday, Greece’s Orthodox Bishops also released a statement after their unanimous vote against the bill.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a cabinet meeting earlier on Wednesday, responded to the church’s opposition by stating, “Previous disagreements have not harmed the relationship between the State and the Church.”
The governmental proposal, which legalizes same-sex marriage and adoption, is expected to be debated in Parliament in the coming weeks.
Despite facing opposition from several lawmakers within the more conservative faction of ruling party New Democracy, the bill is expected to be enacted into law with the backing of center-left and left opposition parties.
