ATHENS – Only parents who are not Orthodox Christian can ask to have their children to be exempted from religious studies classes in Greece, a tiny fraction of students.

That was the ruling of Education Minister Niki Kerameus from New Democracy who was to take questions in Parliament for that decision at the request of a former education minister, Nikos Filis from the major opposition SYRIZA, said Kathimerini.

The decision states that atheists, agnostics and students of other denominations and religions don't have to take religious studies and can submit an application to their school for an exemption okay.

Filis said it was a violation of rulings from the country's Data Protection Authority and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with SYRIZA having wanted during its 4 ½ year reign to separate Church and State but never did.

Filis said the data authority has ruled that it is sufficient to invoke reasons of conscience so that Christian Orthodox students can also be exempted. He added, moreover, that the “ECHR ruled that member-states have no right to require citizens to disclose their religious beliefs.”