Church Jurisdictional Fragmentation, Religious Discourse and Public Policy: The Greek Case

Abstract

The paper aims at exploring the question whether the Greek State has exploited the jurisdictional fragmentation of the Orthodox Church in order to promote its secular agenda. The paper argues that the so-called ‘identity card crisis’ (2000) might be a case highlighting this point. To this end, the paper critically examines the discourse of senior church officials with respect to this public policy issue. Special emphasis is also put on the relations between Church and State, as well as the causes and effects of their systemic alliance within a growing secular and multi-cultural society.