The Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church reaffirmed its position on same-sex marriage

Under the presidency of His Beatitude Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens and All Hellas, a meeting of the Permanent Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Hellas of the 169th synodal period was held. During the meeting, the hierarchs discussed current issues of church life, including the recent decision of the Greek Council of State on the constitutionality of the law on same-sex unions, and also approved the plan for upcoming conferences and educational programs for 2026.

According to the news portal Orthodoxia.info, the Holy Synod was reacting to Decision No. 392/2026 of the Plenum of the Council of State, which recognized Law No. 5089/2024 as constitutional. This law enshrines the right to enter into civil marriage between persons of the same sex, as well as the right of such couples to adopt minors. In this regard, the Synod recalled its unchanged position previously stated in its official communiqué of January 2024 and in the special educational publication «To the People».

In addition to discussing socio-legal issues, the Synod took a number of important organizational decisions. At the suggestion of the Synodal Commission for Christian Education and Youth, May 17 was set as the end date for Sunday schools in 2026. Also approved was the holding of a major scientific conference «St. Luke of Hellas and his monastery: history, theology and culture», timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the return of his holy relics. The event will take place from June 5-7, 2026, in Athens and at the Osios Loukas Monastery.

As part of the Church’s «Love the Family» initiative, the Synod appointed Metropolitan Nicholas of Mesogeia and Laureotica as its representative at the «Family and Nature» event to be held on May 10 in Galatsi. In addition, the Fifth Panhellenic Conference for clergy and staff of dioceses on pilgrimage tourism is scheduled for the first half of November 2026 in Alexandroupoli. At the end of the meeting, the Synod considered the current personnel issues and administrative affairs of the dioceses.

As a reminder, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine made a proposal to the Verkhovna Rada to legislate the status of same-sex unions in the draft of the new Civil Code. This initiative is aimed at changing the definition of family and marriage in order to fulfill the country’s international obligations and bring national law in line with the decisions of European courts.