Romanians support Biblical marriage, but referendum fails

The Romanian Orthodox Church is encouraging members to continue defending the family after a weekend referendum on marriage was thrown out because of low turnout. More than 90 percent of Romanian voters supported defining marriage in the constitution as the union of one man and one woman, but election officials said just 20.41 percent of eligible voters participated, short of the 30 percent required for the referendum to be valid. The nation’s constitution currently defines marriage as between “spouses.” It does not allow civil unions, nor does it recognize same-sex marriage from other countries.

On Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis, who supports same-sex marriage, said the country should tackle the issue further with “a mature approach and openness to dialogue.” Meanwhile, the Orthodox Church, which backed the referendum, called the vote “a partial success which calls us to hope and work more.”