[ALBSA-Info] Janullatos on ID cards in Greece

[Agron Alibali]

[10] Church hierarchy ready for Wednesday's
Thessaloniki rally over ID cards furor
Athens, 14/06/2000 (ANA)
The Orthodox Church's powerful hierarchy is
intensifying efforts to prepare Wednesday's rally in
downtown Thessaloniki, due to begin at 7 p.m.,
regarding the issue of religion affiliation being
listed on new identity cards. 
Church circles estimate that more than 600 coaches
will be used to carry people to the rally. 

Vehicles fitted with loudspeakers were also driving
through Thessaloniki in the morning, calling on people
to attend the rally. Members of several Orthodox
Christian organizations are also distributing printed
material door-to-door and on the streets. A similar
rally will also be held in Athens on June 21. 

In a related development, Jerusalem Patriarch Diodoros
II has addressed a letter to Archbishop of Athens and
All Greece Christodoulos, stressing his undivided
support for the people and the Church. 

An announcement by the Holy Synod also revealed that
the Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania Anastasios
had a telephone conversation with Christodoulos and
offered assurances of his support and participation in
the Autocephalus Orthodox Church of Greece's efforts
to avert the removal of religious affiliation from new
state-mandated identity cards. 

Gov't: Meanwhile, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
said the identification of the main opposition New
Democracy party with the Church on the issue of
rallies was "unacceptable." 

He said the move altered the character, which should
govern the functioning of the Church and indicated
that the main opposition party was succumbing to
temptations merely for petty-party reasons. 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos -- now, 100 FREE prints!
http://photos.yahoo.com