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CHURCH DISPUTE AND CONTOURS OF THE CAUCASIAN CONFEDERATION
By Zaza Jgharkava
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/article_details.php?id=9195
23.06.2011
After the meeting of the presidents, Armenia and Georgia tried to
resolve the church confrontation at the level of high-ranking church
authorities. The meeting of the highest-ranking ecclesiastic figures
planned for October last year finally took place - Armenian Catholicos
Garegin II met with the Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II. There were
expectations that the visit of Armenia's spiritual leader would put
a certain stop to the property dispute, which has gone beyond the
sphere of the church and acquired a geopolitical meaning.
The visit by Armenia's Patriarch had been planned for three years.
However, due to the existing political situation and the health
conditions of the Georgian Patriarch, Garegin II had not been able
to visit Tbilisi until now.
The visit took place ten days ago. However, instead of addressing the
existing issues and questions, the meeting raised even more questions.
The advice of the Georgian Patriarch speaks to this fact when he
stated that, "Garegin II is a young person and needs more experience.
He is a wise man but wants to do everything quickly, which is not
always possible. I told him that I was very experienced, this is why
making no haste was the most important," Ilia II pointed out at the
Sunday service.
The Armenian Catholicos visited Tbilisi to resolve the issues of the
status of the Armenian Church and six churches in Georgia. The Holy
Echmiadzin considers these to be Armenian and demands that they be
transferred under his jurisdiction. Officials in Yerevan were raising
the issue in high-level meetings, but after Armenian politicians were
forwarded to the Patriarch's Office, the Armenian Catholicos became
involved in the matter.
These were the issues that the two Patriarchs discussed during their
face-to-face meeting. However, it seems that even the involvement
of Garegin II could not resolve the issue. "If Armenian churches are
opened in Georgia, Georgian churches should open in Armenia as well,"
this was Ilia II's answer.
The Armenian media evaluated the visit of Garegin II as unsuccessful.
The news portal "Zhamanak" writes that the visit was not beneficial
for the Armenian side. "Garegin II failed on the negotiations between
the Armenian and Georgian churches. While speaking about the issues
of Armenian churches in Georgia, Patriarch Ilia II gave an unexpected
answer to the Catholicos."
The answer proved truly unexpected. According to the Georgian
Patriarch, while speaking about the churches, we should not forget
that both sides have demands and related facts and documents proving
that there are Georgian churches in Armenia and Armenian churches
in Georgia."
The article on the "Zhamanak" news portal points out that this was
not a sensational reaction from the Georgian side when it raised the
issue of churches in Northern Armenia. However, the most interesting
aspect is that the Armenian side agreed to the establishment of a
commission comprised of historians."
The author of the article thinks that the Armenian side should not
have agreed to the establishment of the commission, as it automatically
raised the issue of Georgian churches in Armenia.
On June 11, the spiritual leaders of Georgia and Armenia adopted a
joint communiquй. "This visit showed that relations between us are
developing and are being upgraded to a new level, which considers
defining the equal legal status of the Armenian Apostolic Church
in Georgia and the Georgian Apostolic Autonomous Orthodox Church in
Armenia; as well as supporting the opening of Armenian (Gregorian)
Churches in Georgia and Georgian (Diophysite) Churches in Armenia on
the parity basis," the statement released by the Georgian Patriarch's
Office reads. "In order to solve the above-mentioned we found it
necessary to create the bilateral inter-church commission and we
request that the governments of Georgia and Armenia support timely
implementation of the communiquй."
The question arises: how many Georgian churches are there in Armenia
and how many Georgians live there? According to precise information,
500 Georgians live in Armenia today, whereas in Georgia there are 450,
000 Armenians. The Armenian experts have in mind this disproportion
when criticizing Garegin II for the joint communiquй.
The fact that the Armenian Patriarch Garegin II requested the
meeting with the Georgian Patriarch for three years but received no
confirmation by Ilia II adds to it. Meanwhile, the Georgian Patriarch
met with the spiritual leader of the Turks, which created a big stir
in Yerevan.
Professor at Sokhumi University, Guram Murghuli, thinks that the
visit of Garegin II was not determined by the church issues only;
this is why the visit was postponed. According to the scientist,
the visit of the Armenian Catholicos served the goal of strengthening
the role of Armenia in the Caucasus Confederation.
"Establishing the South Caucasus Confederation is an American project,
which envisages tearing Armenia from Russia's orbit," Murghuli says.
"Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia, Tskhinvali
should all join the Confederation and Tbilisi should be declared a
free city. This is why Armenians are trying to gain ownership on as
much property as possible before the big redistribution."
Taking into consideration the fact that Russia manages all the
Caucasian conflicts, the establishment of a possible Confederation
in the Caucasus can truly be a way out of the deadlock.
Nevertheless, how much the visit by the Armenian Catholicos has to do
with this project is hard to say. The fact is that Garegin II returned
to Yerevan with empty hands and while away, only asked for looking
after the disputed churches, "I hope before the final resolution of
the problem, there will be a considerate approach and the Armenian
spiritual and cultural heritage will be treated with care."
By Zaza Jgharkava
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/article_details.php?id=9195
23.06.2011
After the meeting of the presidents, Armenia and Georgia tried to
resolve the church confrontation at the level of high-ranking church
authorities. The meeting of the highest-ranking ecclesiastic figures
planned for October last year finally took place - Armenian Catholicos
Garegin II met with the Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II. There were
expectations that the visit of Armenia's spiritual leader would put
a certain stop to the property dispute, which has gone beyond the
sphere of the church and acquired a geopolitical meaning.
The visit by Armenia's Patriarch had been planned for three years.
However, due to the existing political situation and the health
conditions of the Georgian Patriarch, Garegin II had not been able
to visit Tbilisi until now.
The visit took place ten days ago. However, instead of addressing the
existing issues and questions, the meeting raised even more questions.
The advice of the Georgian Patriarch speaks to this fact when he
stated that, "Garegin II is a young person and needs more experience.
He is a wise man but wants to do everything quickly, which is not
always possible. I told him that I was very experienced, this is why
making no haste was the most important," Ilia II pointed out at the
Sunday service.
The Armenian Catholicos visited Tbilisi to resolve the issues of the
status of the Armenian Church and six churches in Georgia. The Holy
Echmiadzin considers these to be Armenian and demands that they be
transferred under his jurisdiction. Officials in Yerevan were raising
the issue in high-level meetings, but after Armenian politicians were
forwarded to the Patriarch's Office, the Armenian Catholicos became
involved in the matter.
These were the issues that the two Patriarchs discussed during their
face-to-face meeting. However, it seems that even the involvement
of Garegin II could not resolve the issue. "If Armenian churches are
opened in Georgia, Georgian churches should open in Armenia as well,"
this was Ilia II's answer.
The Armenian media evaluated the visit of Garegin II as unsuccessful.
The news portal "Zhamanak" writes that the visit was not beneficial
for the Armenian side. "Garegin II failed on the negotiations between
the Armenian and Georgian churches. While speaking about the issues
of Armenian churches in Georgia, Patriarch Ilia II gave an unexpected
answer to the Catholicos."
The answer proved truly unexpected. According to the Georgian
Patriarch, while speaking about the churches, we should not forget
that both sides have demands and related facts and documents proving
that there are Georgian churches in Armenia and Armenian churches
in Georgia."
The article on the "Zhamanak" news portal points out that this was
not a sensational reaction from the Georgian side when it raised the
issue of churches in Northern Armenia. However, the most interesting
aspect is that the Armenian side agreed to the establishment of a
commission comprised of historians."
The author of the article thinks that the Armenian side should not
have agreed to the establishment of the commission, as it automatically
raised the issue of Georgian churches in Armenia.
On June 11, the spiritual leaders of Georgia and Armenia adopted a
joint communiquй. "This visit showed that relations between us are
developing and are being upgraded to a new level, which considers
defining the equal legal status of the Armenian Apostolic Church
in Georgia and the Georgian Apostolic Autonomous Orthodox Church in
Armenia; as well as supporting the opening of Armenian (Gregorian)
Churches in Georgia and Georgian (Diophysite) Churches in Armenia on
the parity basis," the statement released by the Georgian Patriarch's
Office reads. "In order to solve the above-mentioned we found it
necessary to create the bilateral inter-church commission and we
request that the governments of Georgia and Armenia support timely
implementation of the communiquй."
The question arises: how many Georgian churches are there in Armenia
and how many Georgians live there? According to precise information,
500 Georgians live in Armenia today, whereas in Georgia there are 450,
000 Armenians. The Armenian experts have in mind this disproportion
when criticizing Garegin II for the joint communiquй.
The fact that the Armenian Patriarch Garegin II requested the
meeting with the Georgian Patriarch for three years but received no
confirmation by Ilia II adds to it. Meanwhile, the Georgian Patriarch
met with the spiritual leader of the Turks, which created a big stir
in Yerevan.
Professor at Sokhumi University, Guram Murghuli, thinks that the
visit of Garegin II was not determined by the church issues only;
this is why the visit was postponed. According to the scientist,
the visit of the Armenian Catholicos served the goal of strengthening
the role of Armenia in the Caucasus Confederation.
"Establishing the South Caucasus Confederation is an American project,
which envisages tearing Armenia from Russia's orbit," Murghuli says.
"Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia, Tskhinvali
should all join the Confederation and Tbilisi should be declared a
free city. This is why Armenians are trying to gain ownership on as
much property as possible before the big redistribution."
Taking into consideration the fact that Russia manages all the
Caucasian conflicts, the establishment of a possible Confederation
in the Caucasus can truly be a way out of the deadlock.
Nevertheless, how much the visit by the Armenian Catholicos has to do
with this project is hard to say. The fact is that Garegin II returned
to Yerevan with empty hands and while away, only asked for looking
after the disputed churches, "I hope before the final resolution of
the problem, there will be a considerate approach and the Armenian
spiritual and cultural heritage will be treated with care."