Gov’t rules out referendum on same-sex marriage bill

The government has ruled out the possibility of conducting a referendum on the matter of marriage and childbearing for same-sex couples. 

In an interview on Skai radio on Friday, spokesman Pavlos Marinakis emphasized that while the government respects the role and views of the Church, it remains committed to implementing its policy program.

"This bill was one of our pre-election commitments," Marinakis said.

Earlier on Friday, Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the influential Orthodox Church of Greece, which opposes the government's plans to allow same-sex civil marriages, proposed the idea of a referendum to address the issue.