Greek Orthodox Church boycotts politicians

The Greek Orthodox Church Council banned the country's political and official figures from attending religious ceremonies, including Sunday services for Orthodox Christians.

According to "Redna", the Greek Orthodox Church Council, in protest of the passage of the same-sex marriage law, banned the country's political and official figures from attending religious ceremonies, including special Sunday services for Orthodox Christianity.

In recent months, Pope Francis' approval of same-sex marriage, blessing it, and performing the ceremony in church has sparked widespread reactions. Now, following a decision by the Greek Orthodox Church Council, headed by Archbishop Ieronymos II of Greece, it has led to a ban on political figures from attending church and participating in religious ceremonies, reflecting the growing disagreement between the church and the state on social issues, including same-sex marriage.

Jerome II explained the decision as follows: "The Church is a place of love for all people, but it will not accept a change in the fabric of the family and divine tradition. Children adopted by homosexuals will be baptized, since they have no role in choosing their godparents." Jerome does not recognize same-sex marriage, considering it contrary to divine tradition.

The Greek presidential office also issued a statement in response to the aforementioned ban, writing: "The door of the presidency will always remain open to members of the Greek Orthodox Church Council and priests. We respect the decision of the Church Council not to accept the presidential invitation."

The Greek government intends to maintain relations with the Greek Orthodox Church, but the Council of the Greek Orthodox Church had previously informed authorities that this year's Orthodox Sunday service will be held at the "Smoton" located in the Petraki Temple instead of the "Metropolitan" of Athens, and will not accommodate politicians and the president due to lack of space.

In 2013, the Greek government also sought to legalize same-sex marriage, but the Greek Orthodox Church opposed and resisted the plan, and the plan was ultimately canceled due to widespread public opposition.

Two members of parliament from the left-wing Syriza party were also expelled from church membership by the Metropolitan of the island of Kerkyra for voting in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. The ban was met with strong criticism from the two members and other political figures.

According to analyses conducted by Redena, the tensions that have arisen could, in the long run, be detrimental to the ruling party and the upcoming elections, as well as widening the gap between traditional and modern society in Greece, as the aforementioned sanctions reveal the depth of the disagreement between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek government on social issues.