Ieronymos II of Athens

Amid the backlash from some clerics over Parliament's recent ratification of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, Archbishop Ieronymos ordered an ecclesiastical inquiry on Tuesday concerning the archimandrite of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, Father Seraphim Dimitriou, over his recent behavior toward a socialist MP.

More tension looms between Church and state over the bill for same-sex civil marriage and adoption by such couples which Parliament recently passed, after Greek Archbishop Ieronymos reportedly expressed dismay with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' speech during the House debate on the legislation.

Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the Orthodox Church of Greece, supposedly took a relatively soft stance on the issue of same-sex marriage.

The recent unanimous rejection by the influential Greek Church's governing Holy Synod of government plans to legalize same-sex marriage is perceived as a success for Archbishop Ieronymos in navigating the perennial antagonism between the more modernizing and conservative, at times obscurantist, factions within the Hierarchy.

A recent statement by Metropolitan Ieronymos, bishop of Athens and all Greece, regarding the baptism of children from same-sex couples has ignited a debate within the Greek Orthodox Church. Ieronymos declared that the church would baptize these children once they reach a certain age and express a desire for the sacrament.

The public statement on Thursday by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece that the Church of Greece would agree to the baptism of children of same-sex couples when they grow up, if they so desire, surprised senior clerics, who referred to his address just two days ago at the meeting of the Holy Synod, where he had stressed that the Hierarchy will speak in one voice.

The Greek Orthodox Church would agree to baptize children of same-sex couples, if they so desire, Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the influential Orthodox Church of Greece, said on Thursday.

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.

Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the influential Orthodox Church of Greece, which opposes government plans to permit same-sex civil marriages, suggested on Friday that a referendum could be conducted to address the issue.

The leader of the left-wing opposition party SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, is scheduled to meet with the head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, on Saturday at 10 a.m.