Church calls for ID card referendum

Athens - The Orthodox Church in Greece, empowered by a successful petition campaign, yesterday demanded a national referendum…

Athens - The Orthodox Church in Greece, empowered by a successful petition campaign, yesterday demanded a national referendum on planned identity cards omitting the bearer's religion.

"Over three million Greeks have asked for a referendum and the Holy Synod repeats this request," said the Greek leader, Archbishop Christodoulos.

But the socialist government, which has adamantly rejected church demands over the last 14 months, said it was unimpressed and would not change its stance.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter