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.