Greek Justice Minister Haralambos Athanasiou has said that he will never back legalising same-sex marriage in the country, arguing that it harms society and poses a danger to traditions.
“I won’t discuss it, I can’t conceive of it,” the conservative politician told Greece’s Mega TV. “Besides, the convention of human rights forbids it. When it speaks about marriage it speaks [of marriage] between a man and woman. We are a country that respects traditions, respects human nature, and it’s not possible, at least with this government and this ministry, to permit marriage.”
While Greece has faced sanctions by the European court of human rights for not extending rights to gay couples, in July the court refused to judicially impose same-sex marriage on countries, stating that gay marriage is not a human right.
Athanasiou has argued that allowing gay couples to enter civil unions could further challenge the traditional family structure.
“Our country has structures. We have to look at it from the religious point of view, the political point of view, the social point of view. The ministry of justice will not, under the pressure of anyone, examine such an issue without calmness and composure,” he added.
The Greek Orthodox Church, the largest denomination in the Eastern European nation, has called homosexuality “a perversion of human existence”.