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The Greek government has announced that it will fulfill its promise to legalize same-sex marriage, despite strong opposition from the church.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis stated that the draft law will enter parliamentary proceedings during the current term of this government, which concludes in 2027.
The government's announcement comes after the Head of the Greek Orthodox Church issued his own statement expressing strong opposition to the proposal. The church's main argument was against raising children in such unions, claiming that same-sex couples treat them as "accessories" and "pets."
The church argues that expanding marriage rights would create a legal obligation to fulfill parental rights ultimately, in line with the international obligations on rights that Greece has signed.
"The position of the Greek Church remains that children have a need to be born and, consequently, the right to be raised with a male father and a female mother. No amount of social modernization and no amount of political correctness can override this," the church's statement says.
Meanwhile, polls show that Greeks are divided on same-sex marriages but are more opposed to the expansion of parenting rights for same-sex couples.
Greece legalized civil partnerships for same-sex couples in 2015.