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PATRIARCH: LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENT ON RELIGIOUS GROUPS' STATUS 'DANGEROUS'
Civil Georgia
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23716
July 7 2011
Georgia
Head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, expressed regret over
hasty approval of legislative amendments on religious minorities'
legal status, saying that the law "is dangerous" and it required
thorough consideration.
"This law is so important and so dangerous that lawmakers should
have thought about what its consequences might be in ten, hundred
years... We lack analytical thinking. Analysis should be made before
doing something and not afterwards," Ilia II said.
"You all know my [July 4] statement... We are not saying that religious
[minorities] should not be granted with [legal] status. We are saying
that we should sit down, invite academicians, clerics and specialists
and discuss it."
"It is regrettable that lawmakers were so in hurry that they passed
[the legislative amendments] in one day," the Georgian Patriarch said.
He also said that the Georgian Church's position should not be
interpreted as being against the Armenian Church or Armenians.
A senior cleric from the Georgian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Zenon,
linked hasty approval of the legislative amendments by the Georgian
Parliament to Armenia, suggesting that after a failure to agree with
the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church managed
to achieve its goal of gaining legal status through the consent of
the Georgian authorities. Georgian Church officials also say, that the
legal status would now pave the way for some religious minority groups,
particularly the Armenian Apostolic Church, to formally claim ownership
over several disputed churches in Georgia. The Georgian Patriarchate
was insisting that the Georgian Church too should have been granted a
legal status in Armenia in parallel to the similar decision by Georgia.
"My statement in no way contains any opinion against Armenians.
Despite of all conversations, Georgians and Armenians have always been
and will be brothers; this is necessary. When Armenians are in trouble,
we provide our help and when we are in trouble they provide us help,"
the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church said on July 7.
"What I said was that this is so complicated and important law and
this law may be misused," Ilia II said.
"For that reason everything should have been taken into consideration
and the [Georgian Orthodox] Church should have also been involved
in discussion, because in many cases it also concerns the Church,"
he said.
"Some say why the Church is touching upon the issue which is a matter
of the state. That's not the issue only related to the state; that's
the issue which concerns the entire nation - the Church and especially
the state. And the process, which was being discussed yesterday have
strained relations between the religions. That should not happen. The
Georgian people have always been protector of other small nations and
national minorities; the Georgian people have always been protecting
Armenians, Russians, Azerbaijanis, Jews."
"I want to request the President to veto this law unless discussions
take place. The main responsibility lies on the President and I want
him to be in calmness - he and our country. I hope everything will
be all right," the Georgian Patriarch said.
At the time when the Patriarch requested President Saakashvili to
veto the bill on July 7, the document was already signed into law
and published, meaning that all formal procedures are now completed
and the bill is already the law.
Civil Georgia
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23716
July 7 2011
Georgia
Head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, expressed regret over
hasty approval of legislative amendments on religious minorities'
legal status, saying that the law "is dangerous" and it required
thorough consideration.
"This law is so important and so dangerous that lawmakers should
have thought about what its consequences might be in ten, hundred
years... We lack analytical thinking. Analysis should be made before
doing something and not afterwards," Ilia II said.
"You all know my [July 4] statement... We are not saying that religious
[minorities] should not be granted with [legal] status. We are saying
that we should sit down, invite academicians, clerics and specialists
and discuss it."
"It is regrettable that lawmakers were so in hurry that they passed
[the legislative amendments] in one day," the Georgian Patriarch said.
He also said that the Georgian Church's position should not be
interpreted as being against the Armenian Church or Armenians.
A senior cleric from the Georgian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Zenon,
linked hasty approval of the legislative amendments by the Georgian
Parliament to Armenia, suggesting that after a failure to agree with
the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church managed
to achieve its goal of gaining legal status through the consent of
the Georgian authorities. Georgian Church officials also say, that the
legal status would now pave the way for some religious minority groups,
particularly the Armenian Apostolic Church, to formally claim ownership
over several disputed churches in Georgia. The Georgian Patriarchate
was insisting that the Georgian Church too should have been granted a
legal status in Armenia in parallel to the similar decision by Georgia.
"My statement in no way contains any opinion against Armenians.
Despite of all conversations, Georgians and Armenians have always been
and will be brothers; this is necessary. When Armenians are in trouble,
we provide our help and when we are in trouble they provide us help,"
the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church said on July 7.
"What I said was that this is so complicated and important law and
this law may be misused," Ilia II said.
"For that reason everything should have been taken into consideration
and the [Georgian Orthodox] Church should have also been involved
in discussion, because in many cases it also concerns the Church,"
he said.
"Some say why the Church is touching upon the issue which is a matter
of the state. That's not the issue only related to the state; that's
the issue which concerns the entire nation - the Church and especially
the state. And the process, which was being discussed yesterday have
strained relations between the religions. That should not happen. The
Georgian people have always been protector of other small nations and
national minorities; the Georgian people have always been protecting
Armenians, Russians, Azerbaijanis, Jews."
"I want to request the President to veto this law unless discussions
take place. The main responsibility lies on the President and I want
him to be in calmness - he and our country. I hope everything will
be all right," the Georgian Patriarch said.
At the time when the Patriarch requested President Saakashvili to
veto the bill on July 7, the document was already signed into law
and published, meaning that all formal procedures are now completed
and the bill is already the law.