Moscow, March 1, 2017
Photo: Basilica.ro
The Romanian Patriarchate issued a press release today in which they address the issue of “civil partnerships,” stating, “The Romanian Patriarchate observes with much concern the proceedings related to the potential formalization of so-called ‘civil partnerships,’ namely the draft law that is currently on the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies.”
As it has consistently done, in the release the Church emphasizes the centrality of the Orthodox faith to the identity of the Romanian people and culture and pledges to “continue to defend and promote the fundamental values of the traditional family that are beneficial for the present and future of Romanian society.”
To institutionalize alternative family types could have dire consequences for the moral life of families and society as a whole, the release emphasizes, noting that constitutionally a family is also “formed exclusively by marriage between a man and a woman.” Civil partnerships would encourage cohabitation and are less stable for effectively raising children.
“The attempts to redefine [traditional family] seems to be part of an ideological agenda that discredits family values and its social benefits,” the patriarchate states.
Traditional family values has been one of the Romanian Church’s main emphases, and it has several times called upon the Chamber of Deputies to reject the normalization of civil partnerships.
