One of Greece’s leading bishops, Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus, has blamed the “Zionist monster” for recent changes in Greek law allowing same-sex couples increased access to civil rights.
Under the new cohabitation bill, same-sex couples who sign a cohabitation agreement will receive the same tax advantages as married, heterosexual couples. The new legislation has also improved inheritance rights for same-sex couples.
It is reported that the bill is extremely unpopular in Greece but is being passed to meet European Union anti-discrimination standards.
Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus has remarked that the increased rights for same-sex couples are the result of a “constant war against the true faith” being waged “by the international Zionist monster,” which he believes controls the Greek government.
In 2010, the bishop told a Greek TV channel that Jews had orchestrated the Holocaust and were to blame for Greece’s financial crisis.
Antisemitic stereotyping is widespread in Greece. A recent Anti-Defamation League survey revealed that Greece has Europe’s highest rate of antisemitic attitudes, with 69% of Greeks espousing antisemitic views.
Source: Times of Israel