Current:Home > NewsGreek government says it stands by same-sex marriage pledge even after opposition from the Church-InfoLens
Greek government says it stands by same-sex marriage pledge even after opposition from the Church
View Date:2024-12-23 14:27:21
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-right government said Thursday it would fulfill a commitment to legalize same-sex marriage, sidestepping staunch opposition from the country’s influential Orthodox Church.
The legislation would be brought to parliament during the house’s current term, which ends in 2027, said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.
The statement comes after the Church’s governing Holy Synod issued a 1,500-word opinion late Wednesday, expressing strong opposition to the proposal. The Church’s main argument centered around the issue of raising children, claiming they are being treated as “accessories” and “companion pets” for gay couples.
“We always listen to the opinions of the Church with respect,” Marinakis said. “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.”
The Church argues that extending marriage rights would create a legal obligation to eventually follow up with parental rights under international rights obligations that Greece has signed up to.
“The position of the Church of Greece remains that children have an innate need and therefore a right to grow up with a male father and a female mother. No amount of social modernization and no amount of political correctness can bypass (this),” the Church circular said.
“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,” it added.
The comment drew widespread attention in the Greek news media.
Opinion polls suggest Greeks are evenly divided on the issue of same-sex marriage, but opposed to extending full parental rights to gay couples.
Same-sex marriage is legal in 34 countries globally, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a U.S. association created to monitor discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. None of the countries on that list are majority Orthodox Christian like Greece, although several have legalized civil partnerships in recent years.
Prominent members of Greece’s governing conservatives have publicly expressed support as well as opposition to the government’s commitment while left-wing and center-left opposition parties are generally supportive.
The country’s left-wing opposition leader, Stefanos Kasselakis, married his male partner in New York in October, several weeks after winning a party leadership election.
Greece legalized same-sex civil partnerships in 2015.
veryGood! (733)
Related
- NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison dies at 86
- Woman sues ex-Grammys CEO for sexual assault and accuses Recording Academy of negligence
- Las Vegas hotel workers union reaches tentative deal with Caesars, but threat of strike still looms
- NFL Week 10 odds: Moneylines, point spreads, over/under
- Charles Hanover: A Summary of the UK Stock Market in 2023
- Maryland officials approve settlement to reform autopsy process after teen’s 2018 in-custody death
- Texas earthquake: 5.3 magnitude quake hits western part of state early Wednesday
- Angels hiring Ron Washington as manager: 71-year-old won two AL titles with Rangers
- Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
- NFL Week 10 odds: Moneylines, point spreads, over/under
Ranking
- UConn, Kansas State among five women's college basketball games to watch this weekend
- When is Aaron Rodgers coming back? Jets QB's injury updates, return timeline for 2023
- North Greenland ice shelves have lost 35% of their volume, with dramatic consequences for sea level rise, study says
- There’s too much guesswork in renting an Airbnb. The short-term rental giant is trying to fix that
- Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court’s independence
- 'Friends' Thanksgiving episodes, definitively ranked, from Chandler in a box to Brad Pitt
- Tallulah Willis Shares Why Her Family Has Been So Candid About Dad Bruce Willis' Health
- Mariska Hargitay Makes Fans Go Wild After She Asks Photographers to Zoom in on Her Necklace
Recommendation
-
Why Suits' Gabriel Macht Needed Time Away From Harvey Specter After Finale
-
UN convoy stretching 9 kilometers ends harrowing trip in Mali that saw 37 peacekeepers hurt by IEDs
-
So you want to be a Guinness World Records title holder? Here's what you need to know
-
Former Louisiana House speaker chosen as Gov.-elect Jeff Landry’s chief budget adviser
-
Bev Priestman fired as Canada women’s soccer coach after review of Olympic drone scandal
-
Store worker killed in apparent random shooting in small Iowa town; deputy shoots suspect
-
Wounded North Carolina sheriff’s deputies expected to make full recovery
-
Four takeaways from Disney's earnings call