CHURCHGOING is fashionable among young people in the republic of
Georgia. The political and cultural élite in the country, however,
are sceptical about how deep this goes. They point out that people
can even buy special "fasting cakes" at the more fashionable
stores.
This divergence in outlook highlights one of the interesting
paradoxes about religion in Georgia at the moment. The Georgian
Orthodox Church enjoys 80-per-cent popular support, and Patriarch
Ilya II is the most revered figure in the country. But the young
élite are thoroughly liberal and fairly secular in their approach -
much more like their counterparts in Western Europe, to whom they
look.
One result of this is that there is tension over how much
religious equality there should be for religions other than the
Orthodox Church. The government is determined to have full
equality, and on 5 July last year the Civil Code of Georgia was
amended to allow registration of faith groups as religious
associations. In addition to being a legal entity in private law,
they can now become a legal entity in public law.
So far, at least nine groups have registered. But the government
has had to push this through against popular opinion. The Patriarch
told a visiting parliamentary delegation from Britain last year
that he backed this move, but, in reality, his attitude has emerged
as more ambivalent.
DESPITE the new Civil Code, the Orthodox Church retains an
entrenched position of privilege, because by the Constitution
Agreement (Concordat) of 14 October 2002, it has a number of
privileges that are not available to other groups. The most
controversial are tax exemptions, and annual funding from the state
budget. This is resented by the 18-20 per cent of the population
made up of minority faiths, who pay taxes but do not receive any
state funding.
The government is doing what it can to support the minorities,
and has set up a Tolerance Centre under the auspices of the Public
Defender. This enables leaders of the minority groups, who include
Seventh-day Adventists and the Armenian Church, to meet regularly
to plan reforms.
This tension over religion is integrally related to a struggle
over values for the emerging Georgia. The Patriarch's views are
extremely conservative, not least his views on the part played by
women in society.
Recently, there was a small pro-gay demonstration in the
capital, Tbilisi, which was broken up violently by some monks. A
leading priest in the city said that he had not been present, but
that, if he had been, he would have joined in forcibly to break up
the group. All this is inimical to the young Western-orientated
government, but it seems to represent the attitude of many in the
population.
GEORGIA is a wonderful country, which is developing dynamically
under its energetic and talented president, Mikheil Saakashvili. It
has a rich culture, and a splendid history of tolerance, with
long-standing Jewish and Muslim communities. It would be a pity if
this were lost. Is there a way in which the Georgian Orthodox
Church can still be the Church of the Georgian people, as
historically it has been, and have the support of the minority
faiths?
Perhaps the Church of England can in some way be a role model.
There have been very good relations between Patriarch Ilya II and
Lambeth Palace in recent decades, with reciprocal visits. In the
past, it has of course been an oppressive institution. Now,
however, its position is one that can best be described as one of
symbolic privilege. Whether this can be justified depends on two
factors: first, whether full religious rights are accorded to other
groups; and, second, how broadly acceptable this is to other
religious bodies.
At the moment, we have the interesting situation where the
strongest defenders of the establishment of the Church of England
are Jewish and Muslim leaders. They feel that it helps the part
played by their own faith in society.
NO SOCIETY is neutral, and its institutions will always reflect
its history, culture, and religion. There is nothing inherently
wrong with having an established Church, provided that the rights
of other religions are fully respected. So there is nothing wrong,
in principle, with the Georgian Orthodox Church's continuing to
have a symbolic privilege.
Unlike the Church of England, it is not an established Church,
but it is the historic Church of the Georgian people. At the
moment, however, its privilege is more than symbolic; so the
question is whether it is willing and able to make the necessary
concessions to win the support of the other faiths in playing this
part.
The Rt Revd Lord Harries of Pentregarth, a former Bishop of
Oxford, is Gresham Professor of Divinity.