Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday during a cabinet meeting that the same-sex marriage bill "seeks the equal treatment of all citizens."
Speaking of the bill, which was presented in greater detail by State Minister Akis Skertsos, Mitsotakis said it focused "on protecting children of homosexual parents that already exist; these children must have the same rights as all other children."
Mitsotakis noted that the recognition of same-sex marriages already exists in 36 countries and 5 continents, "without this showing that it harmed social cohesion and government harmony."
He also expressed appreciation that the reform was discussed in low tones by society without extremisms.
All viewpoints were heard, including voices that had never been heard before, like those of same-sex parents "who can finally sleep peacefully at night, without the fear that if anything happens to them their child will not end up with the other parent but end up at an institution."
He also underlined that the government's bill, to be tabled in parliament, "does not change the current state for surrogate motherhood, does not fundamentally expand it to same-sex couples, and it excludes the terms 'Parent no. 1' and 'Parent no. 2'. And that is because I want to stress that Greece will not become a laboratory of policies that are only applied in very few countries of the world."
The bill, he said, "adds rights to some without removing them from the many."
Church of Greece ‘firmly opposed’ to same-sex marriage, it says in response to related bills
The Church of Greece officially announced it opposed same-sex marriage and the bills promoting it, following an extraordinary meeting of the Holy Synod chaired by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece on Tuesday.
The Greek Orthodox church response came after the government stated its intention to table a bill in parliament supporting same-sex marriage, while a bill already tabled by the main opposition calls for recognition of surrogate motherhood as well.
In its detailed statement, the Church also said it rejects civil marriage ‘regardless of sex’, adoption by same-sex parents, and surrogate motherhood. The Church said that surrogate motherhood for same-sex couples would be recognized in Greece if made legally in other countries, which would “serve as incentive to take advantage of vulnerable women.”
Specifically, the Church said, “The Church of Greece recognizes only the the holy sacrament of Christian marriage and rejects civil marriage regardless of gender. In this regard, it rejects civil marriage of ‘same-sex couples’ for the further reason that this inevitably leads to ‘same-sex parenthood’ through adoption or surrogate motherhood. This legislation clashes both with Christian anthropology and with society’s obligation to guarantee prosperity and the right upbringing, as well as with the right of children to a father’s and a mother’s presence and care. For all these reasons, and with a sense of pastoral responsibility and love, our holy Church is firmly opposed to the promoted bill.”
READ MORE: “Gay marriage abolishes the Gospel,” says the archbishop of Cyprus.
