Archbishop Christodoulos has asked President Costis Stephanopoulos's office to schedule a meeting between the two men so that the leader of the Church of Greece can present the head of state with the results of a petition aimed at forcing the government to hold a referendum on whether citizens should have the option of declaring their religion on state identity cards.
"It is no small thing to gather three million signatures from across the political spectrum," Christodoulos said yesterday. He wants the meeting to be held on August 28, to coincide with the first day of the Holy Synod's last meeting in its present form. After September 1 the Church's executive organ will include two bishops - those of Thebes and Ioannina - who have expressed opposition to the identity card referendum.
Senior bishops are seeking appointments with the speaker of Parliament, the prime minister and opposition party leaders on August 28 and 29 in order to press for a referendum.