Greece abolishes religion from ID cards; church protests

ATHENS, Greece - The Greek government issued a decree Monday formally abolishing religion from state identity cards - a decision the powerful Orthodox Church has said it will fight with all means at its disposal.

The decree, signed by Public Order Minister Mihalis Chrisohoidis and Finance Minister Giorgos Dris, alters the identity cards that all Greeks are required to have from age 14, eliminating the ''religion'' entry. It also abolishes fingerprints, occupation and spouse's name, while it adds a blood type option as well as Latin characters to allow easy travel in the 15-nation European Union.

But it is the religion change that has sparked a bitter fight between the government and the Orthodox Church. The church, which described the decree as ''autocratic,'' said Monday's signing was ''the implementation of an irrational, anti-religious plan with complete contempt for the opinion of our faithful people.''

About 97 percent of Greece's native-born population is baptized into the Orthodox Church, which sees itself as the true guardian of Greek identity and traditions.

Many church leaders are deeply suspicious of the government's drive to make Greece a modern European country. They see it as a threat to the Christian Orthodox character of the nation and possibly the stirrings of an eventual separation of church and state in Greece.

Greece's church has said it will try to collect nearly 5 million signatures in this country of 10.5 million people to force a national referendum on the decree.

The church asked all adult Greeks to declare their desire for a referendum, even though the government has said it will not hold one. Some of Christodoulos' senior clerics have expressed hope that the government will collapse because of the campaign and a series of mass rallies held last month.

Premier Costas Simitis' Socialist government has said the religion entry on the ID cards ran counter to Greece's modernization efforts. It also says the church's signature campaign could endanger the unity of the Greek people.