The Orthodox religion
Since the rupture with Rome in 1054, the Orthodox Church no longer takes the Pope into account. Divided into independent Churches, i.e. autocephalous, each is led by a Patriarch, appointed Catholicos
in Georgia. In the dogma, almost nothing separates the Catholic Church from the Orthodox Church (the only divergent opinion concerns the Orthodox Dormition, equivalent to the Assumption of the Virgin: for the Orthodox, only her soul has ascended to heaven, unlike the Catholics). According to the legend, the Christianization of Georgia would have been done first by one of the apostles, St. Andrew. He went there three times, built the first church and installed the first bishop and clergy. From 313 and an edict promulgating freedom of worship, Saint Nino, one of the most venerated saints of Georgia, took over and devoted her life to converting the rulers and then the whole country. Her work was deepened by the thirteen Assyrian Fathers - the local version of Jesus and the twelve apostles. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Christianity reached a peak that had a real impact on the arts and literature in the Middle Ages.Catholicos Elijah II
Led by Patriarch Ilia, 83, the Church is officially separated from the State, but plays a predominant role in social and political matters. Since the implosion of the USSR, the country has been undergoing a genuine spiritual renewal. Despite the agreement signed confirming the separation of church and state in 2002 and freedom of worship, the law in force makes the Orthodox Church the official religion.
An extraordinary charisma
Born in 1933 in North Ossetia, Catholicos Elijah II enjoys a very strong spiritual authority, so much so, in a country where Georgia has been plagued by a very high birth rate since the 1990s, that when the Patriarch announced that he would personally baptize every third child in a family, he unleashed a real baby boom. On the International Day Against Homophobia in May 2013, he encouraged the government not to allow the rally in favour of homosexuals. The Patriarch said the rally was "an insult to the Georgian nation" and "a violation of the rights of the majority". Denouncing homosexuality as a disease, he then equated it with drug addiction. Such statements prompted thousands of Georgians to take to the streets of Tbilisi and oppose the demonstrators at the current rally. As the violence escalated, the rally was cancelled and the participants in the demonstration were evacuated by bus.
This event reflects the extremely conservative stance of the clergy. They see Europe as the cradle of an "individualistic and hedonistic society" and accuse it of "turning human rights into a catalogue of minority rights" which, in the eyes of the Church, are the least responsible.
On the international level, the Georgian Church is very much influenced by Russia in the political field and aligns itself with the positions of the Moscow Patriarchate. Russia is often perceived by the clergy as a defender of the Orthodox world against a West seen as liberal, Catholic and decadent.
"To be Georgian is to be Orthodox. "This phrase sums up the strong relationship between national identity and religion. The Orthodox Church is the overwhelming majority in the country (more than 80% of the population) and is known for its conservatism.Other historical religions in Georgia
Islam: introduced in 645 in Georgia, Islam claims the largest number of adherents after Christianity. This religion became established in Georgia in the long term as early as 735, following the Arab invasions, with Tbilisi constituting a hub of trade between Northern Europe and the Muslim world. Subsequently, the Turkish-Mongolian, Persian and Ottoman invasions definitively confirmed the presence of this religion in the country. After independence, the nationalist slogan "Georgia for Georgians", in other words "whoever is not orthodox is not Georgian", provoked a strong movement of emigration of Muslims to Russia.
Two main Muslim groups reside in Georgia: the Sunni Hanafites, living in the Autonomous Republic of Adjaria, and the Kistes, a group close to the Chechens, living in the Pankissi Gorge and practising Sunni Islam of Sufi obedience. Another community resides in Abkhazia. The Ithna Ashariyah, Shiites, are from the local Azerbaijani community. Islam is also practised in the northern Caucasus by the Lezguians, Avars, Kurds, etc. The Meskhetes, Sunnis, were deported en masse during the Soviet era (from 100,000 to 1,000). The Autonomous Republic of Adjaria is home to 30% of Muslims, the majority
The Armenians of Georgia : they belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, sometimes called Gregorian. It is distinct from Orthodoxy and monophysite (this doctrine affirms that "the son has only one nature, and that it is divine"). It depends directly on Etchmiadzin in Armenia, the equivalent of the Armenian Vatican.
Catholicism in Georgia: in the past, when Georgia was governed by authorities of the Muslim faith, some Georgians and Armenians converted to Catholicism in order to benefit from the protection of Rome. The Catholic community amounts to 0.5 per cent of the population.
Judaism in Georgia: At an international Jewish congress at the dawn of the twentieth century, Rabbi David Baazov, who had come from Georgia, announced: "Brothers, I come from a country where Jews have not been persecuted or massacred for two thousand six hundred years. "There has indeed been no wave of anti-Semitism in Georgia. The first wave of Jews is said to have arrived in Georgia in 586 B.C. after Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Jerusalem. Represented in parliament, the Georgian Jewish community is very well integrated into society. Of the 75,000 Georgian Jews who emigrated worldwide for economic reasons to the United States, Israel and Russia, only 10,000 still live in Georgia.
The Kurds yezidis: the yezidism syncretizes elements of Zoroastrianism and Islam. Originally, the followers were Zoroastrians, one of the oldest monotheistic religions, originally from Iran, born between the first and second millennium. During the Arab invasion of the Persian Empire, it is believed that they were forced to convert to Islam, before returning to their religion, while retaining some elements of the Muslim religion. There are about 12,000 Yezidi Kurds in Georgia, or 0.33% of the population. The religion is based on faith in a single God, surrounded by seven angels, including Satan named Malek Tawous. He is represented in the form of a peacock symbolizing power, beauty and diversity. Adherents believe in the resurrection of the soul, but not in the afterlife. The clan is very closed. The religion is transmitted from parents to children only, without proselytizing. A Yezidi temple was inaugurated in 2015 in Tbilisi. The Atechgah fire temple, "cathedral of fire" (sacred element constantly maintained), the oldest Zoroastrian temple in Georgia, is said to date from the5th century. It is believed to have been used by Georgian merchants until the early 19th century.
Relations between religions
Georgia is known for its tradition of religious tolerance. However, the International Court of Human Rights had nevertheless put pressure on the Georgian authorities in relation to certain religious minorities, including Jehovah's Witnesses, to allow them to practise their religion freely. They had previously been violently taken as witnesses by religious extremists. The Court also put pressure on the authorities to set up a Government Agency for Religious Affairs.
Since the Orthodox Church refused to recognize the Roman Pontificate, exchanges between the two churches are complex. The Georgian Orthodox Church is, however, largely dominated by very conservative and ultra-nationalist currents. These openly show their hostility towards the West, accused of transmitting so-called "decadent" values. Since Georgia's independence, the Orthodox Church, which enjoys a very strong social influence, has been the pillar of the national identity. Religious extremist movements against other religions as well as popular movements against minorities are very worrying. The Orthodox Church has closed in on itself, receiving Pope Francis with very mixed enthusiasm in 2016. According to the Georgian ambassador to the Vatican, relations between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church are "difficult".
