Church adopts wait-and-see approach on same-sex marriage
The Church of Greece has adopted a wait-and-see approach regarding the government’s plans to legalize same-sex marriage.
“The Church listened to the positions of the prime minister and we are awaiting the developments… With great care, we will see how the legislation will be formulated on paper and then we will position ourselves on it,” said the Permanent Holy Synod representative Panteleimon, metropolitan bishop of Maroneia and Komotini.
In an interview with state broadcaster ERT on Wednesday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that “obviously we will listen to the opinions of the Church.”
“I don’t know if we will be able to agree, we will respect the different opinion, but the state legislates, it does not co-legislate with the church, as has happened many times in the past,” Mitsotakis said, essentially postulating the separation of powers and the prospect of the state and the Church maintaining distinct approaches and not necessarily converging paths.
“The Church, let’s say, disagrees with cremation. I did not ask the Church to do a service during the cremation process. Just as I am not asking the Church to perform a religious wedding. I don’t ask things from the Church that I know the Church cannot do,” the PM said.
Despite the fact that the government’s legislative initiative, as announced, will not allow parenthood for same-sex couples via a surrogate mother, church officials insist that it will pave the way for parenthood in this way via legal appeals to the European courts.
