Greece and same-sex marriage: Is the country on the verge of explosion?

The situation around the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Orthodox Greece reached a boiling point at the beginning of 2024. Almost all Greek metropolitans strongly oppose the proposed bill, which will allow homosexuals not only to register their same-sex partnerships as 'families' but also to adopt children.

In the latest session of the Synod, the Greek Church spoke out against the adoption of children by gay individuals, stating that 'children are not pets', but did not make a clear statement regarding same-sex marriage. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of Greek bishops have strongly condemned the impending bill, and the Greek faithful are ready to take to the streets in protest. It is hardly surprising, given that some metropolitans directly urge Orthodox Greeks to 'fight against the legalisation of same-sex marriages'.

Archbishop Ieronymos added fuel to the fire by assuring that "the Church will not take up arms", meaning it will not initiate mass riots. However, the statement itself, mentioning weapons from a person with a multimillion-strong flock behind him, sounds very alarming, indicating that there is at least talk about riots. Yet, the government, adhering to certain agreements “with Western partners” is determined to pass the bill regardless of the opposition.

So, what is happening in Greece, and how could this end?

Church and politics: symphony or cacophony?

According to the Constitution, Greece is an Orthodox country. The position of the Church on various issues in the country is highly significant, and in most cases, it aligns with the state because the Church is subsidized by the state budget.

However, in the country's history, there have been cases where the visible 'symphony' between the Church and the state was disrupted, leading not only to 'cacophony' but also to serious confrontation. One such instance was the "religion" entry in identity documents.

In 2000, the government decided to remove this record from documents. However, the then-head of the Greek Church, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, opposed this decision. His firm stance on this issue led to massive protests in Athens and Thessaloniki, and the Church collected over 3 million signatures calling for not removing the 'religion' entry from passports. It's worth noting that at that time, the entire population of Greece was just over 10 million people, and 3 million signatures were more than the number of votes the PASOK (the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement) party received to come to power in the country.

Yes, then (as in many other cases) the Church lost the confrontation with politicians, but they all still shudder at the thought that the events of 2000 could be repeated. Besides, after 2000 the politicians realised that the Church has a decisive role in the election issue, which means that nobody wants to quarrel with it.

But not in the case of the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

On 19 January 2024, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that a bill on same-sex marriage would be passed in early February.

In fact, in unison with this statement, it was reported that an extraordinary meeting of the Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church will be held on 23 January 2024. It will consider just one issue – gay marriage and the reaction to it. The Synod, according to the Statute of the Church of Greece, was convened by Archbishop Ieronymos. However, as it turned out, he did it for a reason.

Politics in the Church or the Church in politics?

It is important to understand that Archbishop Ieronymos is trying to 'balance' between directly opposite opinions. In one of his recent interviews, he stated that in the matter of 'homosexual partnerships,' one should not think in terms of “right”, “left” and “centrist” positions but rather consider “what kind of society and family we will have tomorrow”. At the same time, to shift personal and the Church’s responsibility, he declared that the issue of same-sex marriages should be decided in a national referendum.

In this situation, the Primate of the Greek Church is trying to act not just as a religious leader but as a politician. Responding to journalists about his stance on same-sex marriage, Archbishop Ieronymos said, “In such matters, the Archbishop cannot take a stand alone, nor can the Prime Minister.” That is why we haven't heard any harsh statements from him, and probably won't. He expected that the Synod of the Church of Greece would also refrain from making any strong statements until the adoption of the bill, which is already in the Greek Parliament having undergone all necessary procedures for a vote.

In other words, Archbishop Ieronymos hopes to 'sit out' and later, after the law is passed, state that “the Church could do nothing”.

Naturally, the lack of firm convictions on such an obvious issue for a believer as the attitude to the sin of Sodom causes a lot of discontent not only among ordinary believers but also among the Greek hierarchs, who increasingly allow themselves to criticize the actions of the Primate.

What is behind the convening of the Synod?

Thus, some of the metropolitans were outraged that Archbishop Ieronymos, without informing the Synod and the hierarchy, met with Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis. The Greek media calls this meeting "secret", claiming that fellow hierarchs demand an account from the head of the Greek Church about what happened at the meeting. All in all, a scandal is evident.

An even greater scandal is brewing over the fact that the Synod of 23 January was convened by Archbishop Ieronymos, as it turns out, not by his will.

The fact is that a group of Greek bishops, who are spiritual children and admirers of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece (Ieronymos’s predecessor) mentioned above, began collecting signatures for the immediate convocation of the Synod. They collected 25 such signatures. However, the letter was not sent to Archbishop Ieronymos in time – he learnt about the collection, and, anticipating the events, convened the Synod himself.

However, the Greek press reports that a group of hierarchs of the Greek Church are now accusing Archbishop Ieronymos of failing to fulfil his duties as the spiritual leader of the nation. The bishops claim that the Primate is flirting with the authorities and trying to "manoeuvre" on a matter of principle. For this reason, they demanded that he convene a Synod.

Homosexuality – not a sin?

In turn, representatives of the Greek government constantly assert that the Church's opinion on this matter is of no importance. For example, just an hour after Archbishop Ieronymos suggested holding a referendum, the spokesperson for the Greek government stated, firstly, that the Church would not dictate to politicians how to vote, and secondly, “human rights issues are not decided in referendums”.

Believers are also outraged that the authorities are trying to shift the question of recognizing homosexual families from a purely political issue to a spiritual problem. For instance, a government representative stated that “homosexuality is not a sin” and that he is “sad to hear” the opposite opinion, which, according to him, “does not represent either believers or the Church”.

Such words from the official were perceived as an attempt by the state to dictate to the Church what should be considered a sin and what should not. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that practically all Greek hierarchs see the recognition of same-sex marriage as only the first step towards the destruction of Christian values and do not perceive homosexuality as a “biological feature” of a person. Moreover, voices are increasingly heard that the same people who recently argued that the traditional family is a completely unnecessary and outdated institution are advocating the legalisation of gay marriage. According to the hierarchs, it seems that if the family is an outdated institution, then by promoting same-sex unions, they are destroying this “institution”.

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We will soon see what all this will lead to. Probably, on January 23, the Greek Orthodox Church will make a firm decision on the issue of same-sex marriages. Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu has already called on his brethren to condemn the forthcoming law. It is also very likely that the Greek government will not pay any attention to the Church's stance and the law will be passed. What will happen next in the country (protests, rallies, demonstrations) is unknown.

However, what is known for sure is that the country's politicians are slowly and surely destroying the Orthodox roots and traditions of the very people whose interests they promised to serve.