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The Messenger, Georgia
July 9 2011
Discord between ruling administration and Georgian church
By Messenger Staff Friday, July 8
At the last session before its holiday, the Georgian parliament
granted legal status of public law to all religious faiths which were
acknowledged by the Council of Europe. Up to 70 representatives of the
ruling party in the parliament voted unanimously for this decision
despite protests from the opposition as well as Georgian Patriarchate.
The latter was against such a hasty adoption of the law and demanded
public discussion and analysis of the conditions before adopting the
amendment in the civil code.
The events in the parliament developed at Guinness record speed. The
decision took place in Tbilisi when neither President Saakashvili nor
chair of the parliament Bakradze were in the capital. On July 1
parliament adopted the draft law at the first hearing. On July 4 the
Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II spread a statement where he
was expressing his surprise for the decision of the parliament to
accept such a serious document in a speedy way without solid public
discussion.
The Patriarchate asked for public discussion involving the whole
nation. The ruling team ignored this request and on the very next day
on July 5 held the second and third hearings and adopted the code. The
major question which now arises for Georgian society is why was the
position of the Patriarchate not considered by the ruling forces? And
why was it approved in such an unusually accelerated manner? On a
superficial level certain highlights are outlined.
Some days ago Georgia was visited by Armenian Catholicos Garegin II
and during this meeting with the Georgian Patriarch he asked Ilia II
to provide his followers the same judicial status of a legal entity of
Public law. Ilia II responded that Georgia would like to receive the
same status in Armenia in return. So the deal was not concluded. Just
a few days later the Armenian foreign minister came to Tbilisi and, as
it turned out, during his meeting with his Georgian counterpart the
Armenian FM addressed the same issue.Is it just a coincidence that
this visit was followed by this hasty adoption of a new law and the
subsequent granting of extra status to foreign churches? It also
became known through some unconfirmed sources that president
Saakashvili promised Garegin II to make the abovementioned decision.
The Georgian media is now openly speculating about the "cold war"
between the rose administration and the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The adoption of this law without carrying out public debates and
therefore ignoring the position of Patriarchate gave ground to the
media and analysts to announce an `attack' on the authority of the
Georgian church. On the same day, July 5, the Patriarchate released
the statement that the adopted amendments contradict the Georgian
church and the country's interests as well and that this law will
yield negative results very quickly.
Nobody should doubt that Georgia should comply to Western standards
but it should be done in a democratic way.
Some opposition parties asked President Saakashvili to veto its
decision however the document has already been signed by the
President. As some analysts have said, this step was taken by
Saakashvili and his team to confirm to the westerners their commitment
and loyalty to its western liberal-democratic image in order to
receive support for the forthcoming elections in the hope that the
west will turn a blind eye to any manipulations from the ruling power
during these elections
July 9 2011
Discord between ruling administration and Georgian church
By Messenger Staff Friday, July 8
At the last session before its holiday, the Georgian parliament
granted legal status of public law to all religious faiths which were
acknowledged by the Council of Europe. Up to 70 representatives of the
ruling party in the parliament voted unanimously for this decision
despite protests from the opposition as well as Georgian Patriarchate.
The latter was against such a hasty adoption of the law and demanded
public discussion and analysis of the conditions before adopting the
amendment in the civil code.
The events in the parliament developed at Guinness record speed. The
decision took place in Tbilisi when neither President Saakashvili nor
chair of the parliament Bakradze were in the capital. On July 1
parliament adopted the draft law at the first hearing. On July 4 the
Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II spread a statement where he
was expressing his surprise for the decision of the parliament to
accept such a serious document in a speedy way without solid public
discussion.
The Patriarchate asked for public discussion involving the whole
nation. The ruling team ignored this request and on the very next day
on July 5 held the second and third hearings and adopted the code. The
major question which now arises for Georgian society is why was the
position of the Patriarchate not considered by the ruling forces? And
why was it approved in such an unusually accelerated manner? On a
superficial level certain highlights are outlined.
Some days ago Georgia was visited by Armenian Catholicos Garegin II
and during this meeting with the Georgian Patriarch he asked Ilia II
to provide his followers the same judicial status of a legal entity of
Public law. Ilia II responded that Georgia would like to receive the
same status in Armenia in return. So the deal was not concluded. Just
a few days later the Armenian foreign minister came to Tbilisi and, as
it turned out, during his meeting with his Georgian counterpart the
Armenian FM addressed the same issue.Is it just a coincidence that
this visit was followed by this hasty adoption of a new law and the
subsequent granting of extra status to foreign churches? It also
became known through some unconfirmed sources that president
Saakashvili promised Garegin II to make the abovementioned decision.
The Georgian media is now openly speculating about the "cold war"
between the rose administration and the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The adoption of this law without carrying out public debates and
therefore ignoring the position of Patriarchate gave ground to the
media and analysts to announce an `attack' on the authority of the
Georgian church. On the same day, July 5, the Patriarchate released
the statement that the adopted amendments contradict the Georgian
church and the country's interests as well and that this law will
yield negative results very quickly.
Nobody should doubt that Georgia should comply to Western standards
but it should be done in a democratic way.
Some opposition parties asked President Saakashvili to veto its
decision however the document has already been signed by the
President. As some analysts have said, this step was taken by
Saakashvili and his team to confirm to the westerners their commitment
and loyalty to its western liberal-democratic image in order to
receive support for the forthcoming elections in the hope that the
west will turn a blind eye to any manipulations from the ruling power
during these elections