Greece Becomes the First Christian Orthodox-Majority Country to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
On February 15, Greece made history as the first Christian Orthodox-majority country to legalize same-sex marriage. According to an article published by BBC, the bill needed a simple majority to pass through the 300-member parliament. At a 176-76 vote in parliament, the bill passed with an extremely clear majority, thus illustrating how progressive Greek political culture has become in recent years.
However, this new law does not necessarily reflect the entire Greek population’s view of what marriage should be. The Greek Orthodox Church led a strong resistance against the bill, with its head, Archbishop Ieronymos, stating that this new law would “corrupt the homeland’s social cohesion.” This comment follows a pattern of similar ones the archbishop has made in the past regarding same-sex marriage; he has previously been quoted describing homosexuality as a “deviation” from God and the Church. Others involved in the Church took to the streets in Athens to protest the bill and were pictured holding up crosses and Bibles to show their belief that same-sex marriage violates Christian morals.
These demonstrations of resistance toward the bill are unsurprising, given the Church’s official stance on LGBTQ+ policy. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese lists homosexuality, among other things, as “immoral and inappropriate forms of behavior in and of themselves, and also because they attack the institution of family.” What is surprising, though, is that Greece was able to pass this bill despite the majority of the country’s population being Christian Orthodox. This shows that despite heated opposition to the bill, there is far more support for same-sex couples present throughout the country.
Furthermore, the law is groundbreaking not only in that it will permit gay men and lesbian couples to marry, but it will also allow them to adopt children and have their own families. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke of his country’s incredible progress in a heartfelt speech that he delivered to parliament: “People who have been invisible will finally be made visible around us, and with them, many children will finally find their rightful place.” He continued, saying that the “reform makes the lives of several of our citizens better, without taking anything away from the lives of the many.”
The prime minister’s speech could very well be interpreted as a direct call-out to those involved in protests against the new bill, and even the Greek Orthodox Church itself. The policy proves that state law in Greece is distancing itself further and further away from religious influence. This should be happening, considering that Church and State are intended to be separate institutions that do not interfere with one another or their individual actions, according to a 2018 policy. As more progress is made in Greece to modernize the country and its living standards for the people that live there, it is hopeful that other countries will soon follow suit. It is highly possible, now that Greece permits same-sex couples to marry and have children, that other Christian-Orthodox countries will move toward establishing more progressive policies, thus establishing equality for their people.