Identity crisis: Greece, orthodoxy, and the European Union

Abstract

Orthodox Christianity and the legacy of the Byzantium are integral parts of Greek national identity. As the only Orthodox member state of the European Union Greece has been involved in a controversy of the inclusion of religion on identity cards. The statutory position of the mention of religion on official documents was recently changed by the socialist government, which enacted a privacy act omitting the declaration of faith, occupation or family status from newly issued state identity cards. Archbishop Christodoulos, who represents the Church of Greece and has undertaken a rigorous campaign of defending the Greek Orthodox tradition against the forces of globalisation, has strongly reaffirmed the right of citizens to specify their faith on identity cards. The article is a pilot study presenting a content analysis of the controversy by examining Greek and non-Greek perspectives on the issue, as they are expressed in a sample of Greek and international newspaper articles. The author analyses the different arguments and opinions of the conflict and explores the key themes raised by the controversy, namely the challenges and tensions posed by Greece's Church and State model, increasing religious diversity, and its dual, western and eastern, heritage.