Translated material
Equal to the Apostles feat
The abbots of Abkhazian churches ask to come under the wing of the Moscow Patriarchate
Russia's recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia entailed (and will continue to entail) not only political and economic consequences. The Abkhazian and South Ossetian clergy, which after the interethnic conflicts of the early 90s left the subordination of the Georgian Orthodox Church (which, according to the Abkhazians and Ossetians, sided with the Tbilisi authorities), now hopes to come under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church - just like for example, South Ossetia seeks to join the Russian Federation.The canonical dispute in the Caucasus is as old as the political conflict: the Abkhaz and Alan (Ossetian) dioceses have existed de facto for a decade and a half, but are not recognized by either the Georgian or Russian churches. In particular, the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, in response to requests from the Abkhaz and South Ossetian clergy, carefully pointed out that “uncoordinated interference of one local church in the internal affairs of another” is unacceptable.
The Alanian Church, after repeated and unsuccessful appeals to the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, in 2003 went under the leadership of the Greek Old Calendarists - part of the Greek Church, which at one time did not recognize the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. In the opinion of the South Ossetian diocese, there can be no talk of any canonical reconciliation with the Georgian Church - for example, Bishop George of Alan (Pukhate) in one of his recent speeches called the Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II a “chauvinist and Satanist.” “Since Soviet times, and then under Zviad Gamsakhurdia, he turned from an Orthodox mentor into a Georgian nationalist,” said the head of the Alan diocese. —Can a shepherd say “Georgia is for Georgians!”, can he bless soldiers for ethnic cleansing? Saakashvili's tanks, blessed by Ilia II, first fired at our cemetery, and then crushed it with their tracks! Isn't this Satanism?
As for the Abkhazian Orthodox, as explained to Vremya Novostey by German Marshania, assistant manager of the Sukhumi-Abkhaz diocese, they have long lost all connection with the Georgian Patriarchate and although formally they belong to the canonical territory of Georgia, they have de facto been under the control since 1993 guardianship of the Russian Church. “The administrator of the diocese, Priest Vissarion (Apliaa), recently announced that he intends to soon arrive in Moscow, where, we hope, a solution to our issue will be initiated. We hope that the status of the Sukhumi-Abkhaz diocese will not only change, but will simply be determined and gain legal force,” said Mr. Marshania.
Our interlocutor recalled that after the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict of 1992-1993, there were only three Orthodox priests left in Abkhazia, one of them was an Abkhaz, the current head of the diocesan council, Fr. Vissarion (Apliaa). Since the entire Georgian clergy, led by the ruling bishop of Abkhazia Daniil (Datuashvili), fled to Georgia along with the retreating troops, the church had to be restored virtually from scratch. “Our diocese survived independently under the secret tutelage of the Russian Orthodox Church,” emphasizes German Marshania, “90% of the Abkhaz clergy are graduates of Moscow theological schools, the Moscow Patriarchate provided all possible assistance in the restoration of churches and in the ordination of our priests.” Direct assistance in the spiritual nourishment of the Abkhazian flock was provided by the head of the nearest diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop Panteleimon of Maikop.
Representatives of the clergy of the unrecognized republic repeatedly came to Moscow - they contacted both the Department for External Church Relations and directly to the patriarchal residence in Chisty Lane. According to Mr. Marshania, the Abkhaz clergy were made to understand that determining the status of the diocese depended on a decision related to the recognition of the state independence of Abkhazia. Now that the independence of the republic has been officially recognized by the Russian parliament and president, the Patriarchate has more grounds to legitimize the actual subordination of the Abkhaz clergy to the Russian Church.
The MP understands that such a decision will be difficult and problematic, Mr. Marshania admits, but, he emphasizes, there is nevertheless a way out. “We hope that the Moscow Patriarchate will take upon itself this equal-to-the-apostles feat and resolve this situation,” notes our interlocutor. — The problem can be solved simply: the bishop must be ordained. We have a leader who has been heading our church for many years - Priest Vissarion (Apliaa). With the ordination of this priest or another candidate for the office of bishop, this will solve this problem.” In addition, reminds the assistant to the manager of the Abkhaz diocese, in accordance with the current charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, there can be self-governing churches outside Russia that are subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate.
However, the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church themselves still act more cautiously than the secular authorities and are in no hurry to link rapidly developing political events with the resolution of inter-church problems. “The issue of the status of canonical territories must be resolved on the canonical field, through the dialogue of two churches - Georgian and Russian. I hope that the potential for striving for peace and dialogue that we have will allow us to develop this dialogue in a worthy way,” Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, diplomatically noted in a conversation with a Vremya Novostei correspondent. DECR Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, spoke in approximately the same spirit. “Political decisions do not have direct effect in the field of church-jurisdictional relations,” he said in an interview with the Orthodox news agency Russian Line.
It is possible that the cautious and balanced position of the Russian Orthodox Church is explained, among other things, by the fact that both churches have a similar position on such a sensitive issue as maintaining the unity of the canonical territory. The Russian Patriarch, faced with the “separatism” of parishes in Ukraine and Estonia, needs allies in the Orthodox diaspora who can support his position on the inviolability of the canonical borders of the Russian Orthodox Church. In contrast to the secular authorities of Moscow and Tbilisi, the primates of the Russian and Georgian churches demonstrate fraternal unity and agreement. Thus, on August 2, congratulating the Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch Elijah on his namesake day (in other words, happy birthday), Alexy II wrote: “I wish Your Holiness to continue to provide the same wise and prudent high priestly care for the Georgian people of the same faith and friendly to us, certainly taking advantage of the response love and respect of the flock." And on August 8, at the height of the conflict, both patriarchs simultaneously issued calls for a ceasefire and the start of a peaceful dialogue.
According to Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, Doctor of Theology Alexei Osipov, as a result, some part of the Abkhaz and South Ossetian parishes may want to remain in the Georgian Church, others will want to join the Russian Orthodox Church, which, of course, may cause new canonical disputes. In any case, Professor Osipov emphasizes, negotiations between the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches will require a long “period of coordination and discussion.”
Sukhumi-Abkhaz diocese. Until 1993, part of the Georgian Orthodox Church, currently a de facto self-proclaimed administratively independent Orthodox church structure. The co-chairs of the diocesan council are priest Vissarion (Apliaa) and hieromonk Andrey (Ampar).
13 operating churches, including the Sukhumi Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Two monasteries: St. Apostle Simon the Canaanite in the city of New Athos (New Athos Monastery) and the monastery of St. John Chrysostom in the village of Komany.
Alan diocese. An ecclesiastical structure currently under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox (Old Calendar) Church of Greece, led by Metropolitan Cyprian. The Georgian and Russian Orthodox Churches do not recognize it as canonical.
The head of the diocese is Hieroarchimandrite George (Puhate).
Created (recreated) in 1992. Claims to be the successor to the medieval Holy Alan Metropolis, which was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Until 2000, it was under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR), since 2003 - in the “Cyprian” Greek Old Calendar Church.
There are three churches in Tskhinvali, and about 60 churches and chapels have been opened throughout the republic.