The powerful Church of Greece formally confirmed on Tuesday its opposition to a law legalizing same-s*x marriage and adoption, which is due to be introduced in parliament next month.
The Holy Synod, the church’s ruling body, stated that the bill “condemns future children to grow up without a father or mother in an environment of confusion” and will promote “the exploitation of vulnerable women” as surrogate mothers.
“The duality of the s*xes and their complementarity are not social inventions, but come from God,” the Synod said in a statement after the five hour meeting.
The church’s head, Archbishop Ieronymos, condemned the planned law as part of a bid to impose a “new reality that seeks only to corrupt the homeland’s social cohesion.”
Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is personally championing the topic, has announced that a parliamentary vote will be held next month.
The law is anticipated to be passed by the cabinet on Wednesday.
However, almost one-third of Mitsotakis’ 158 MPs in parliament are expected to oppose it.
Mitsotakis, who promised legislation after gaining a new four-year term in June, has stated that current assisted reproduction restrictions will not be changed to grant same-s*x couples the right to surrogacy.
The topic is a priority for the main opposition leftist Syriza party, whose leader Stefanos Kasselakis has stated that he and his American husband want to become parents via surrogacy.
Syriza and the socialist party PASOK are anticipated to back the bill.
According to opinion polls, the majority of Greeks support same-s*x marriage but are opposed to surrogacy.