Lithuania's parliament last month voted to accept for further debate a draft bill legalizing same-sex civil partnerships, after voting down a similar bill in May 2021.In a pastoral letter to the faithful, the Lithuanian Bishops Conference -- a body which unites the country's bishops -- quoted a 2016 treatise by Pope Francis which states "de facto unions or unions of the same sex cannot simply be equated with marriage".
In a nod to critics, the same-sex bill in the parliament no longer defines partnerships as an "emotional connection" or allows partners to assume a common surname. "The law could better defend human dignity, but support was needed and this was the lowest threshold possible," said Gabrielius Landsbergis, head of the ruling Homeland Union party.
Lithuanian bishops have thrown their weight behind an alternative bill, also under consideration in the parliament, that would allow a group of people to declare a "close connection" and be given additional rights.Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Christina Fincher