Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Bidzina Ivanishvili states that if Georgian Dream wins the elections with a constitutional majority, the role of the Orthodox Church of Georgia will be reflected “more accurately” in the constitution. Ivanishvili announced this in Guria during a meeting with party supporters, where he again made a speech through bulletproof glass.
Georgian Dream last week spoke to the Church, proposing to declare Orthodoxy as the state religion, which it would include in its election program. However, their proposal was rejected by the Church.
The Constitution of Georgia already recognizes the special role of the Orthodox Church in the history of Georgia. Moreover, there is a constitutional agreement between the Church and the state, which the Orthodox Church itself considers to be the best form of relations with the state.
The Constitution of Georgia currently states:
Article 8. The relationship between the state and the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia Along with the freedom of belief and confession, the state recognizes the special role of the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia in the history of Georgia and its independence from the state. The relationship between the State of Georgia and the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia is determined by the constitutional agreement, which must fully comply with the universally recognized principles and norms of international law in the field of human rights and freedoms.
However, Ivanashvili said in Guria that this is not enough:
“In order for the constitutional status of Orthodoxy and the Orthodox Church to be further strengthened and the constitutional record to reflect the existing reality more accurately, the mission of Orthodoxy as a pillar of the identity of the Georgian state is clearly reflected in the Constitution of Georgia. Also, the special role of the Orthodox Church in the history of Georgia and in the modernity of our country will be emphasized,” Ivanishvili said.
He announced that the Constitution of Georgia would reflect Orthodoxy as a “pillar of the Georgian state’s identity.”
The GD Chair noted that Georgia is historically proud of centuries-long traditions, Orthodoxy and religious tolerance.
“To make the status of Orthodoxy and the Georgian Orthodox Church stronger, and the passage in the Constitution to better reflect the reality, the Constitution of Georgia will reflect Orthodoxy as a pillar of the Georgian state’s identity,” Ivanishvili noted. “This will also highlight the special role of the Orthodox Church in Georgia’s history and the modernity of our country.
“Of course, the Constitution of Georgia will fully reinforce the principle of the Orthodox Church’s independence and freedom of faith.
“I would like to thank the Church, His Holiness and Beatitude and the clergy for support of our initiative, and in general, for their contribution to the protection and preserving Georgia’s identity,” he added.
On August 28, Andria Jaghmaidze, Head of the Public Relations Department at the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) said the government had proposed declaring Orthodoxy as the state religion, however, the exact formulation was not finalized and he said the GOC’s considering the issue would take time.
For the constitutional majority, Georgian Dream needs at least 113 mandates out of 150, which is 75% of the mandates. Georgian Dream has never had such support in any election. In addition to this issue, Dream promises the population it will ban the main opposition parties.
