Greek lawmakers are debating a landmark bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Here’s what it means

ATHENS, Greece — Lawmakers begin a debate Wednesday on a landmark bill to legalize same-sex marriage that would make Greece the first Orthodox Christian country to do so.

The Valentine’s Day session in parliament follows vocal opposition and protests from the church but also a shift in public opinion which – while still divided – is narrowly supportive of the reform.

If approved, the bill would grant same-sex couples full parental rights but not allow male partners to seek children born in Greece through surrogacy.

Here’s a look at the reform and why it’s happening now.

THE SLOW ROAD TO CHANGE

The journey toward legalizing same-sex civil marriage in Greece has been long and contentious, with governments in the past shying away from a confrontation with the Orthodox Church.

Civil partnerships for gay couples were made legal in 2015 with conservatives at the time opposing the initiative. Promises to extend those rights were repeatedly deferred as the country emerged from a severe financial crisis followed by the pandemic.

Many same-sex couples, meanwhile, chose to tie the knot in one of more than a dozen other European Union countries which already have marriage equality laws, bypassing restrictions they faced at home.

Early in his second term, center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is currently pushing through a series of difficult reforms, that also include tackling fan violence in sport and controversially ending an official state monopoly on higher education.

WHY IS THE CHURCH SO STRONGLY OPPOSED?

The Greek church’s opposition to the marriage bill has been emphatic.