Greece Became the first Christian Orthodox Country to legalize Same-sex Marriage

(CTN News) – Greece is the first Christian Orthodox-majority country to legalise same-sex marriage.

Following Thursday’s 176-76 decision in parliament, same-sex couples will now be able to legally adopt children.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that the new law would “boldly abolish a serious inequality”.

However, it has divided the country, with vehement opposition led by the powerful Orthodox Church. Its supporters organised a protest march in Athens.

Many others exhibited banners, held crosses, performed prayers, and sang Bible passages on the capital’s Syntagma Square.

Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the Orthodox Church, stated that the measure would “corrupt the homeland’s social cohesion”.

The bill required a simple majority to pass through the 300-member parliament.

Mr Mitsotakis had championed the plan, but it needed opposition party backing to pass, despite the opposition of dozens of MPs from his centre-right governing party.

“People who have been invisible will finally be made visible around us, and with them, many children will finally find their rightful place,” the prime minister said to parliament during a debate before the vote.

“The reform makes the lives of several of our fellow citizens better, without taking away anything from the lives of the many.”

LGBTQ organisations in Greece have applauded the vote.

“This is a historic moment,” Stella Belia, the leader of Rainbow Families, a nonprofit for same-sex parents, told Reuters. “This is a day of joy.”

Same-sex marriage is legal in 15 of the European Union’s 27 member states. It is authorised in 35 countries throughout the world.

Greece has historically trailed behind some of its European rivals, owing primarily to Church resistance.

It is the first country in South-Eastern Europe to implement marital equality.