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As Greece legalises same-sex marriage, will other Orthodox countries join them any time soon?
- Eastern Orthodox leadership has been united in opposing recognition of same-sex relationships both within its own rites and in the civil realm
- There are signs of change with small majority-Orthodox countries of Montenegro and Cyprus authorising same-sex unions in recent years, as did Greece in 2015
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Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalise same-sex marriage under civil law. At least for the near future, it will almost certainly be the only one.
Eastern Orthodox leadership, despite lacking a single doctrinal authority like a pope, has been united in opposing recognition of same-sex relationships both within its own rites and in the civil realm. Public opinion in majority Orthodox countries has mostly been opposed, too.
But there are some signs of change. Two small majority-Orthodox countries, Montenegro and Cyprus, have authorised same-sex unions in recent years, as did Greece in 2015 before upgrading to this week’s approval of full marital status.
Civil unions may become more common among Orthodox countries gravitating toward the European Union. They remain off the table in Russia, which has cracked down on LGBTQ expression, and countries in its orbit.
Following is a summary of church positions and public opinion in the Orthodox world, followed by the situation in individual majority-Orthodox lands.
Eastern Orthodoxy is a socially conservative, ancient church with elaborate rituals and a strict hierarchy. Churches are mostly organised along national lines, with multiple independent churches that share ancient doctrine and practices and that both cooperate and squabble.
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