Albanian Church Opposes 'Gender Equality' Law
Albania's religious leaders have warned that the law undermines family values and is contrary to human nature.
TIRANA — On Oct. 10, 2025, the Orthodox Church of Albania, as part of the country's Interfaith Council, spoke out against the upcoming law "On Equality of Men and Women." In a joint letter sent to the president, prime minister and parliament, religious leaders expressed "concern" that the document imposes alien ideological ideas on society and threatens the foundations of the family and human nature.
The appeal, signed by representatives of Albania's five religious communities – Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical and Bektash – stressed that the proposed bill "changes the meaning of gender and elevates it to the rank of a fully self-determined dimension, separating man from his biological nature."
His Beatitude Archbishop John and other religious leaders recalled that human life is a "gift of God" and any legislative intervention concerning family and identity issues "must be carried out with great care and respect for the moral and cultural traditions of the people."
The authors of the letter paid special attention to education. According to them, the law provides for the teaching of gender topics without taking into account the natural right of parents "to raise children in accordance with moral convictions and religious faith." "Teaching minors these concepts at an early age can do more harm than good," the document says.
The interfaith coalition condemned the mechanisms of control and sanctions provided for in the draft, which "can turn into instruments of ideological pressure." "A law aimed at protecting the minority, but imposing its worldview on the majority, risks itself becoming a discriminatory tool," the letter says.
In conclusion, the Interfaith Council called on the authorities to revise the bill "responsibly and in the spirit of social dialogue" so that it "serves not ideology, but justice, coexistence and sustainable human development."
Previously, UOJ reported that the Prime Minister of Slovakia said two genders should be enshrined in the country's Constitution.
