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In a heightened response from the Orthodox Church of Greece, backlash against the recent law legalizing same-sex civil marriage intensified on Tuesday. The Corfu bishopric imposed a religious ban on two local lawmakers who supported the reform, accusing them of committing a "deep spiritual and moral error."
The law, approved on February 15, made Greece the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage. The Church of Greece, known for its conservative stance, vehemently opposed the reform, urging lawmakers to reject it.
The Corfu bishopric declared the lawmakers ineligible for communion, Church events, and formal honors, urging them to repent. This move follows a similar action by Church officials in Piraeus targeting lawmakers who voted for the same-sex marriage law. The law grants full parental rights to married same-sex couples with children but prohibits gay couples from parenthood through surrogacy in Greece.
Despite opposition, the reform was championed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and received narrow majority support from the population. The Church's criticism revolves around the law's perceived impact on traditional family values and concerns about potential future extensions of surrogacy rights to gay couples.
The first same-sex wedding under the new law was reported in southern Athens over the weekend.
[Source: Kathimerini.gr and AP
