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 President Confirms Support for Church

During a recent visit to Kutaisi's ancient Cathedral of the Dormition, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili reiterated his government's support of the Georgian Orthodox Church, noting its assistance in the cathedral's renovation as well as the renovation of some 500 other Georgian Orthodox churches and monasteries. More 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.

Catholicos-Patriarch Anton II of Mtskheta Glorified

The Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church has glorified Catholicos-Patriarch Anthony II (Bagrationi) of Mtskheta and eastern Georgia, the last head of the Mtskheta Patriarchate prior to its abolition by the Russian Empire, as a martyr. St. Anthony's feast day has been established as 21 December (3 January by the new style). More here.

Georgian Orthodox Church Concerned by Potential Return of Churches to Armenians

Despite calls from the Georgian Orthodox Church for calm, Georgia's large Armenian minority remains tense in the aftermath of this past weekend's large demonstrations against a law allowing the registration of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia and four other minority religious organizations. While the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia refused to comment on recent events, other representatives of Georgia's Armenian community who were interviewed said that most of the hysteria over the new law was whipped up by the hierarchy and clergy of the Georgian Orthodox Church, noting that of the six historic Armenian Orthodox churches in Tbilisi only two were still in use, whilst two others lay in ruins and two more had been appropriated by the Georgian Orthodox Church, which may now under the terms of the new law have to return them to the Church of Armenia. (In total there are more than 300 Armenian Orthodox churches in Georgia, of which only 40 are currently used by the Armenian Orthodox Church.) More here.

Georgian Orthodox Church Backs Down on Religious Minorities Law

The Georgian Orthodox Church has backed down from its strident, at times somewhat hysterical, opposition to a new law granting legal status to minority religious organizations in Georgia after a representative of the Georgian government informed a session of the Georgian Orthodox Holy Synod that the new law did not grant minority faiths equal standing with the Church of Georgia. More here.

Tbilisi Marches Protest New Legislation on Religious Organizations

Large protest marches took place over the weekend in Tbilisi, Georgia, to protest the Georgian government's enactment of legislation allowing the country's minority religious organizations to register with the state. The marches, the largest in recent years, were fueled by concerns that southeastern Georgia's Armenian minority will use the new legislation to gain equality with ethnic Georgians and by the Sunday sermon of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who said the new laws "humiliated the Church" and those behind them would "definitely be punished." More here and here.

St. Cyrion the New Martyr of Mtskheta

Joyous feast! Today we commemorate Catholicos-Patriarch St. Cyrion (or Kirion) II of Mtskheta and All Georgia. St. Cyrion was the first catholicos-patriarch to be enthroned following the restoration of the Georgian Orthodox Church's autocephaly in 1917. Born in Russian-occupied Georgia, St. Cyrion undertook theological studies there and in Ukraine and gradually rose until he was consecrated to the episcopacy.

Due to the Saint's strong support for the restoration of the Georgian Orthodox Church's independence the imperial government had him transferred to new eparchies frequently, with the result that he shepherded flocks in what today are Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Abkhazia, and Belarus between his consecration in 1901 and the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917.

Following the February Revolution the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church in Georgia moved quickly to proclaim the restoration of the Georgian Orthodox Church's autocephaly and by popular demand St. Cyrion, then Archbishop of Polotsk, returned to Georgia to be elected and enthroned as catholicos-patriarch in Mtskheta. In 1918 Georgia declared its independence in the midst of the great political upheavals and conflicts engulfing the former Russian Empire.

In the same year that Georgia regained its independence St. Cyrion was found murdered in his residence near Mtskheta, having served as patriarch for less than a year. Due to Georgia's annexation by the Soviet Union it wasn't until 2002 that the Georgian Orthodox Church glorified the passion-bearing patriarch as a saint. More on St. Cyrion's life can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!

Georgian Opposition Joins Patriarchate in Calling for Repeal of Legislation on Religious Minorities

Georgian opposition parties are backing calls by the Georgian Orthodox Church to annul recent legislation granting legal status to five minority religious organizations present in Georgia, among them the Armenian Orthodox Church. Some opposition leaders have claimed the legislation, intended to protect the rights of Georgian citizens, inflame ethnic tensions, whilst others have begun calling for legislation that would grant the Georgian Orthodox Church official status as the country's state church. More here and here.

Georgian Orthodox Patriarch to Attend Anniversary Celebrations in Kiev

Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church has received a delegation of the Georgian Orthodox Church at his residence in Kiev. During the meeting the plans for next month's celebrations in honor of the 45th anniversary of Metropolitan Volodymyr's consecration, in which Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church will participating, were discussed. More (in Ukrainian) here.

Armenian Orthodox Church Comments on Catholicos Karekin's Visit to Georgia

Commenting on the recent visit of Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin to Georgia Bishop Arshak (Khachatrian), chancellor of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin, said that throughout Catholicos Karekin's time in Georgia he faced obstacles put in place by both the Georgian government and the Georgian Orthodox Church. Bishop Arshak also noted that the communique released by the Georgian Orthodox Church on the meeting of Catholicos Karekin and Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi did not represent both Churches despite the Georgian Orthodox Church's claim to the contrary.

Despite Patriarch Ilia's comments yesterday on Catholicos Karekin and the latter's visit, during today's press conference Bishop Arshak expressed his hope that relations between the Churches of Armenia and Georgia would continue to develop. More here and here.

Gospels to be Published in Modern Georgian

The Georgian Orthodox Church is preparing to release a translation of the Gospels into modern Georgian from Greek and ecclesiastical Georgian undertaken with the blessing of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. The work of translating the four Gospels has been underway for some 15 years. More (in Greek) here.

Romanian Orthodox Patriarch, Georgian Orthodox Archbishop Meet in Bucharest

Patriarch Daniel (Ciobotea) of the Romanian Orthodox Church has received a representative of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Stephan of Tsageri, in Bucharest. During their meeting the two hierarchs discussed ways in which the two sister Orthodox Churches could draw closer to one another through pilgrimages and other projects. More (in Romanian) here.

Armenian, Georgian Orthodox Catholicoses Agree to Committees to Resolve Issues

The Armenian and Georgian Orthodox Churches have agreed to establish committees to work towards the resolution of the standing issues between the two churches and the Armenian and Georgian nations, among them the return of appropriated Armenian Orthodox churches in Georgia and of appropriated Georgian Orthodox churches in Armenia. The decision to establish the committees was made during a meeting between Catholicos-Patriarchs Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin and Ilia II (Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. More here.

Catholicos Karekin Visits Georgia

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has begun a visit to Georgia at the invitation of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. The visit is apparently the first to what today is Georgia undertaken by a first hierarch of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin since the late 1800s. During his stay in the country Catholicos Karekin will meet with Patriarch Ilia, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and the clergy and faithful of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia. More here.

Patriach Ilia Calls for Clemency from the Georgian Government

Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church has called on the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili to be merciful to the members of opposition parties detained after the recent Independence Day demonstrations in Tbilisi. During the breakup of the demonstrations earlier this week Patriarch Ilia blessed clergy to shelter supporters of the opposition in a church near the Georgian Parliament. More here.

Moscow, Tbilisi Universities Sign Agreement

St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University in Moscow and St. Andrew's Patriarchal University in Tbilisi have signed a agreement that will widen educational cooperation between the universities and the joint publication of Georgian and Russian-language theological works in Georgia and Russia. More here.

Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Calls for Unity, Peace

After festal services in honor of St. Nicholas this past Sunday Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi said that he was praying for "peace and a united spirit" in Georgia, calling on Georgians to "not say or do things to one another that would make them feel ashamed afterwards." More here.

Foundation of New Cathedral Laid in Tbilisi

Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi has laid the foundation for a new cathedral dedicated to the Mother of God the Gatekeeper (also known as the Iveron Icon) in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Participating in the service were Archbishop Feognost (Guzikov) of Sergiev Posad, auxiliary to the Moscow Patriarchate and superior of Holy Trinity Lavra, and representatives of the other Local Orthodox Churches. More (in Russian) here.