Abkhaz Orthodox Faction Calls for Quick Autocephaly, Use of Abkhaz

Abkhazian Orthodox remain divided between two pro-autocephaly factions, one hoping for the help of the Moscow Patriarchate in negotiating autocephaly for the Church of Abkhazia from the Georgian Orthodox Church and the other pressing more strongly for immediate autocephaly and the wider use of the Abkhaz language in the divine services. More here.

Russian, Georgian Orthodox Patriarchs Meet in Kiev

Meeting in Kiev yesterday Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow and Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi confirmed the close ties between the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches despite the political tensions between the Russian and Georgian governments over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

While the patriarchs agreed that the newly independent Transcaucasian states remain part of the canonical territory of the Church of Georgia, it was apparent that disagreements over how to approach the care of the Abkhazian and Ossetian Orthodox faithful remain as it was left to future negotiations to decide details in the pastoral oversight of the Churches of Abkhazia and Ossetia, the first of which is served primarily by Russian Orthodox clergy and the second of which has submitted to one of the Old Calendrist synods in Greece.

On issues concerning the Orthodox Churches as a whole discussed at the Kiev meeting the patriarchs were in agreement. More on their talks can be found here and here.

Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Begins Visit to Ukraine

Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of the Georgian Orthodox Church has begun his visit to Ukraine to participate in the upcoming celebration of the anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. During his time in Kiev Patriarch Ilia will reportedly discuss with Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of the Russian Orthodox the possibility of his making a pastoral visit to the Orthodox Church in Abkhazia, which has vocally rejected the jurisdiction of the Church of Georgia. More here.

Moscow Patriarchate Rejects Abkhazian Orthodox Attempt to Organize a Metropolia at New Athos

The Moscow Patriarchate has rejected an attempt by the Abkhazian Orthodox clergy and laity to establish a metropolitanate for the Church of Abkhazia, reaffirming the necessity of an existing hierarchy for the organization of an independent Orthodox Church. More here.

Abkhazian Orthodox Conference Appeals to World Orthodox Churches

The Georgian Orthodox Church has called on a national conference of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church to give up its call for the restoration of its past autocephaly and submit to the Georgian-dominated Patriarchate of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. The conference itself organized the Orthodox Church in Abkhazia as an archdiocese with its see at the New Athos Monastery and appealed to the first hierarchs of the Local Orthodox Churches to work together to resolve the status of the Church of Abkhazia. More here.

Issue of Liturgical Languages in Abkhazia

The Abkhazian Orthodox Church continues to struggle towards autocephaly, with disagreements over liturgical languages (with an apparent divide between clergy favoring Abkhaz and others favoring Slavonic, of all things) complicating matters. More here.

Abkhazian Politician Speaks Out on New Athos Dispute

An Abkhazian opposition leader, Raul Khajimba, has spoken on the recent dispute over the New Athos Monastery, saying that the Russian Orthodox Church should respect the self-governance of the Abkhaz Orthodox as they work to reestablish an independent Church of Abkhazia. More here.

Georgians, Russians Uninvolved in New Athos Dispute

The Georgian Orthodox Church is reporting that Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk denies any involvement in the recent attempt to apppoint an abbot for the New Athos Monastery in Abkhazia. More here.

Abkhazian Orthodox Protest Russian Orthodox Abbot

Abkhazian Orthodox clergy are protesting a decision to appoint an ethnic Russian as head of a historically Russian Orthodox monastery in Abkhazia, saying that the leading clergy of the Church of Abkhazia should be ethnic Abkhazians regardless of the leadership's warm relations with the Moscow Patriarchate. More here and here.

Ilia II of Georgia Confirms Intention to Visit Abkhazia

In a recent television interview Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi has confirmed his intention to visit Abkhazia as its ruling hierarch, saying that he knows the Abkhaz people "very well" from his years there. Whether the Abkhazian government will allow such a visit and how the Abkhaz Orthodox faithful would react to it remains to be seen. More here.

Ilia II Calls for Prayers for Submission of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

At the Sunday Liturgy this past weekend Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta called on the Georgian Orthodox faithful to pray for the reunion of the Abkhazian and Ossetian Orthodox Churches with the Church of Georgia, saying that God will forgive them for their separation from Georgia and that he plans to visit Abkhazia "soon." More here.

Church of Georgia Open to Dialogue with Church of Abkhazia

Glory to God for all things! The Georgian Orthodox Church is finally willing to begin discussions with the Abkhazian government concerning the restoration of a universally recognized Abkhazian Orthodox Church. More here.

Georgia, Abkhazia, and Autocephaly

I'm brushing up on my Abkhazian history as it's been a while since I read anything of that genre and I find it most fascinating that at one point the Local Orthodox Churches recognized the Catholicos-Patriarchs of both Mtskheta and All Georgia and Pitsunda and All Imereti, Abkhazia, Ossetia, and the North [Caucasus] as shepherding autocephalous churches. And this despite the fact that both were unilaterally granted their independence by the patriarchs of Antioch, not the ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople. In our times one of these churches has regained its recognition and the other is seeking it.

It's all very interesting as regardless of what happens in Abkhazia, Georgia sets a very clear precedent for the granting of autocephaly by a mother church to its daughter. I'm sure there's another example of this somewhere, but it escapes my mind right now. Hm...well, I'm sure that if this happened again, His All-Holiness Bartholomew would be sure to recognize the action of a sister Orthodox Church in granting autocephaly to her daughter church. He is, after all, a great force for conciliarity and unity within the Church...

Pictured are St. Andrew the Apostle's Cathedral (upper right) in Pitsunda, Abkhazia, the former patriarchal see of the Imeretian/Abkhazian Orthodox Church, and St. Nicholas of Myra's Cathedral (lower left) in Washington, DC, the current primatial see of the American Orthodox Church (OCA).

Orthodoxy in Abkhazia and Ossetia

The United States has criticized restrictions on religious freedom in independent Abkhazia and Ossetia, formerly autonomous republics that were united to Georgia under Joseph Stalin and officially remained parts of Georgia until 1999 and 1991 respectively. In both countries independent Orthodox Churches have been established due to the phyletism of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which had established jurisdiction over both republics following the restoration of its autocephaly in the early 1900s.

In Abkhazia the Abkhazian Orthodox Church declared its separation from the Church of Georgia in 2009, reestablishing the Catholicosate of Pitsunda that had existed from the 1470s till its abolition by the Russian government in 1814 and had exercised jurisdiction over the western Georgians, Abkhaz, and Ossetians. As far as I'm aware the Abkhazian Orthodox Church remains without hierarchs as it is waiting for the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches to negotiate recognition of Local Orthodox Churches in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In Ossetia the Ossetian Orthodox faithful were initially care for after South Ossetian independence by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (...in Russia :-) ), but later submitted to the the Holy Synod in Resistance as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in the former USSR fractured into various synods. The Holy Synod in Resistance has organized the Ossetian Orthodox as a self-governing eparchy, the Diocese of Alania (the ancient name for Ossetia).

More on the US report can be found here. The official website of the the Ossetian Orthodox Church can be found here. Interfax's report on the Abkhazian Orthodox Church's appeal for an autocephalous Orthodox Church of Abkhazia can be found here.

Pictured is an Orthodox church in Ossetia.