A statement on the same-sex couple bill was made by Metropolitan of Larissa and Tyrnavos Mr. Ieronymos stressing that “this is a trick of the government” and that “this discussion must take place in substantive terms”.

He stated in detail that “we have other problems that concern us and priority problems are those that have substantial constitutional protection. The right to life, the right to security, the right to secure our property when after a natural disaster they are affected and put in doubt are the first things we must look at”.

“Nevertheless, since this debate has been opened in Greek society, we must say that the position of the church is permanent. The position of the churches beyond the fact that it condemns and characterizes some things as sin without this meaning rejection or aversion, because already from the old testament we read that God gave man the right even to sin. So the church recognizes anyone’s right to sin, gives him the right to repentance and always waits for him. In this sense, the statements of the archbishop of Crete that these people are our brothers have an essential and spiritual content of the event”, he added.

He also noted that “the church claims every person to bring them to what we call salvation, to what we call awareness of the divine will and spiritual struggle. But we have to protect the weakest and at this stage it is the children. Of course, some people are trying to tell us that what we were afraid of about increases in surrogacy, about a change in the regime, maybe we shouldn’t be afraid of them because they are not provided for in this bill, but the ruling party is responsible for a trick, which was done earlier and it led to a current situation with which the church feels uncomfortable and difficult. In 2008, during the Karamanlis government, there was no open gov, we could not be warned about the government’s legislative initiatives. So the law on cohabitation for heterosexual couples was passed. Some assured that this law will not be extended to same-sex couples. But under the terms of reference to family law, discrimination is not allowed for this reason and very easily the associations of the LGBTI community resorted to the European court and succeeded in condemning Greece so that later in 2015 the law on the cohabitation contract was extended to same-sex couples with the reasoning that we have a conviction from the European court”.

The Metropolitan of Larissa and Tyrnavos expressed his concern as he pointed out “as it is the new law reminds me of the repetition of the same trick, we will go for something light so that it opens the door for us and some can claim condemnation of the country in the European court and then whichever party is then in power to say that they were convicted and we have to give more things. At this stage there is no need to manage the existing legislation because no rights are affected, there is no inequality. We give source titles to bills and laws creating impressions, I remind you that in the memorandum they had a title of awesome about salvation and relief”.

“If there was a violation of a right, if there was an insult to any equality, we would not have legislation but jurisprudence, that is, the Council of State, the competent court to protect the constitutionally granted rights would have intervened. So that the Council of State has not intervened so that we do not have case law like this, he goes on to say that there is no problem of constitutionality, violation of rights” he added.

“So let’s go regulate something that I don’t know to what extent Greek society needs it and who and how many demand it and in fact with conditions that create problems for the next day. And in particular, what is the biggest concern of the church is the terms and limits that will be placed on surrogate motherhood,” he stressed.

He also underlined that “at the present stage, surrogacy is allowed to a woman who is a relative of the woman who has the problem and is unable to give birth, it can only be placed under voluntary conditions, that is, without receiving money, the one who will become a surrogate mother. And it is allowed only if there are medical and biological reasons that do not allow pregnancy by the normal mother. So in terms of absolute respect for the fact of the creation of a human being who is about to come into the world and in terms of respect for the offering of one woman to another. This seems that in the future it will be circumvented, we will even have cash pregnancies. Something that creates a commercialization which is unacceptable from the Church of Greece” concluded the Metropolitan of Larissa and Tyrnavos Mr. Hieronymos.

Finally, he said that “I want us to understand that this is not a simple discussion that can be held in the context of sentimentality, it is a profound discussion that must be held in substantive terms, that this is an issue that concerns society and its future. And that is why I am very saddened that the matter of metropolitan politics is being examined more, who and how they will vote and how any majority will appear to pass the bill. So the fact that we don’t let the experts speak and leave the essential discussion in the background”.

“I don’t want to be part of a discussion instead of looking at the essence, it revolves around the type, sticks to the rules of the metropolis and finally highlights the modern Greek uniqueness instead of actually dealing with issues and in depth looking at things that are superficial and have to do with with the footballing of politics against the opposition and with a system that feeds itself without producing substantial work” concluded Metropolitan Hieronymos”.