Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not
by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief
and a robber.
(John 10:1)
For two weeks in May of this year Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia paid a visit to the United States as the official guest of Metropolitan Theodosius, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. Lately Patriarch Ilia has figured prominently in the news owing to the decision of the Georgian Orthodox Church to withdraw from the World Council of Churches. Representatives of "World Orthodoxy" and many public figures are quick to hail Patriarch Ilia as a renowned and "tireless advocate of Christian unity, justice, and peace among the peoples of the world".[1] But perhaps a closer scrutiny of his words and deeds as an "Orthodox" hierarch are in order. As will be seen, much of the information presented here was culled from the official publications of the Georgian Orthodox Church itself, and from the news reports of the various ecumenist groups.[2]
Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II was born Herakles Gudushauri Shiolashvili into a family of Georgian peasants on December 4, 1933, in Orjonikidze (Vladikavkas), which is located on the northern slopes of the Caucasus, in the Russian Federated Socialist Republic, not in Georgia proper. In 1952 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1956, whereupon he was accepted into the Theological Academy. Tonsured a monk in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 16, 1957, he was ordained hierodeacon two days later, on April 18. Patriarch Alexis I of Moscow ordained Hierodeacon Ilia to the priesthood on May 10, 1959 in the Dormition Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergei Lavra. Hieromonk Ilia graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy in 1960. Later that year he returned to Georgia, and on December 19, 1960 was raised to the rank of Hegumen, and in 1961 to that of Archimandrite. Consecrated Bishop of Shemokmedi on August 25, 1963, he was appointed Vicar of Catholicos-Patriarch Ephraim II. On September 1, 1967 Bishop Ilia was appointed to the diocese of Sukhumi and Abkhazia, and then elevated to Metropolitan in 1969. From 1963-1972 he also held the office of Rector of the Georgian Orthodox Theological Seminary.
Russia's Catacomb Saints: Lives of the New Martyrs, citing the Communist newspaper Soviet Abkhazia, relates the details of the persecution, arrest, and imprisonment in 1976 of Archimandrite Gennady (Sekach) of the Catacomb Church in the Caucasus.[3] Metropolitan Ilia, as the local diocesan bishop of the official Georgian Orthodox Church, of course, did nothing to help this persecuted Orthodox Christian, his competitor, as it were. Some accounts say that it was even he who betrayed Archimandrite Gennady to the authorities for having refused to come under his omophorion.[4]
The English edition of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate reports on his activities abroad: "Metropolitan Ilia commendably represented the Georgian Orthodox Church at responsible Pan-Orthodox, Ecumenical and peace forums, and has visited many different countries"(JMP, No. 3, 1978, p. 46). Religion in Communist Lands, reprinting a brief biography supplied by the Georgian Orthodox Church, elaborates on this point: "During all these years he took part in much inter-church activity with the blessing of the Patriarch of Georgia, participating in many forums for the strengthening of world peace. With this aim he visited Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Greece, Yugoslavia, India, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, USA, Hungary, and West Berlin as a delegate of the Georgian Orthodox Church" (Vol. 6, No. 4, Winter 1978, p. 263). One does not have to be a Sovietologist to know that under the Communist regime only its most trusted representatives were allowed to travel so extensively.
On November 9, 1979, Catholicos-Patriarch David V of Georgia died. Religion in Communist Lands reports that, upon the death of Patriarch David V, Metropolitan Ilia was appointed Patriarchal Locum tenens of the Georgian Orthodox Church by the Holy Synod. Leading the delegation dispatched by Patriarch Pimen of Moscow to the funeral of Patriarch David was Metropolitan Alexis (Ridiger) of Tallinn and Estonia, the present Patriarch of Russia, and Pimen's direct successor. The Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate notes that "during his stay in Tbilisi, the head of the delegation from the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Alexis, paid a visit to T. D. Onoprishvili, representative of the Council for Religious Affairs of the USSR Council of Ministers in the Georgian SSR" (JMP, No. 3, 1978, p. 43).
This same issue of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate contains a feature article: "Election and Enthronement of Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia" (pp. 45-49). At its meeting held the same day as Catholicos-Patriarch David V's demise, the Holy Synod decided to convoke the Local Council after a period of forty days to elect the new Primate of the Georgian Church.
On the day before the expiration of this term, a delegation from the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by His Holiness, Patriarch Pimen, arrived in Tbilisi. The delegation comprised Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Head of the Department of External Church Relations…The enthronement of the newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch took place on December 25, 1979, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Sveti-Tskhoveli, in Mtskheta. Patriarch Pimen served as chief celebrant. Once again this issue of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate furnishes the details:This Local Council of the Georgian Orthodox Church… was held on December 23, 1979, in the Sioni episcopal Cathedral…in Tbilisi.
…At about 11 A.M. …the delegation from the Russian Orthodox Church was ceremoniously welcomed. His Holiness was given the place of honor in the presidium. …His Holiness, Patriarch Pimen, addressed the Twelfth Council of the Georgian Church, and in his speech he expressed the wish that the council fathers would elect a worthy Primate of the Church of Georgia.
Bishop Gregory (Tsertsvadze) of Alaverdi, speaking on behalf of the Holy Synod, informed those present that, in the common opinion of the episcopate, clergy and laity, the only and most worthy candidate was the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Ilia. [Thereupon] Archimandrite John Ananiashvili read the biography of Metropolitan Ilia in Georgian, and a translation in Russian was read by Archpriest Alexander Shatirishvili.
Thanking the Holy Synod for its great trust, Metropolitan Ilia beseeched all the members of the council to give free expression to their will when voting by ballot, and not to consider him the only candidate. The members of the council were given election forms, and, making the Sign of the Cross, they placed these in the ballot box…
After all the votes had been counted, the chairman of the counting commission, Archimandrite John Ananiashvili, announced that all the members of the council had unanimously voted for the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Ilia (who refrained from voting himself).
Metropolitan Gaioz of Tsilkani read the official charter (sigillion) of the election…[which] was signed by all the members of the council.
His Holiness Vazgen I, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians, and the members of the Armenian Church delegation [i.e., Monophysites], attended the service in the sanctuary.On December 28, 1977, the newly elected Patriarch sent the following telegram:…and the patriarchal panagias and cross [were placed] round [Patriarch Ilia's] neck by Metropolitan Gaioz of Tsilkani.
[According to eyewitness accounts, the first to greet the new Patriarch with a fraternal kiss of congratulation were Patriarchs Pimen and Vazgen. Then from the ambo all three Primates, in turn, blessed the faithful who had gathered in the cathedral of Sveti-Tskhoveli.]
…In his speech at the banquet… His Holiness, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, said…there are many problems in Georgia today, and the Church, which is unfailingly loyal to her patriotic duty, should participate in their solution. His Holiness, Patriarch Ilia expressed his high opinion of the new Soviet Constitution…
In his speech His Holiness, Patriarch Pimen… expressed his conviction that during the primacy of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia, the Georgian Orthodox Church would loyally continue to support the patriotic and peace-making causes.
…In his speech, His Holiness, Vazgen I, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians, [said]: "I am sure that the Georgian [Communist] Government is well-disposed towards him and will help him in every way possible." …A speech was also delivered at the banquet by Tengiz D. Onoprishvili, representative of the Council for Religious Affairs of the USSR Council of Ministers in the Georgian SSR…
On the following day, December 26, 1979,… Paul G. Gilashvili, President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR, received [the three Patriarchs]… The reception was also attended by… Tengiz D. Onoprishvili, representative of the Council for Religious Affairs of the USSR Council of Ministers in the Georgian SSR.
Later that day the Russian Church delegation left for Moscow.
To His Holiness Patriarch PIMEN of Moscow and All RussiaOther eyewitnesses, however, give a somewhat different account of the election. After the death of Patriarch David V (Devdariani), the most likely candidate for the patriarchal throne seemed to be Metropolitan Gaioz (Kepatishvili) of Tsilkani, on whose side were the majority of the bishops and clergy. Another contender was Metropolitan Ilia of Sukhumi and Abkhazia, who also had a sizable following. Metropolitan Gaioz and his supporters forcibly occupied the Patriarchal headquarters, having ejected the watchman and lone nun, supporters of Ilia, who had been guarding it. Thereupon telegrams were sent to all the heads of the Local Orthodox Churches, announcing that Metropolitan Gaioz had been "elected" Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal throne. Oddly enough, these telegrams got no further than the local post office. It seems that the appropriate "competent organs" of state had by this time already reached a decision. (More on this below.) Then the militia burst into the headquarters of the Patriarchate, in turn forcibly expelled the followers of Metropolitan Gaioz, and ushered in those of Metropolitan Ilia, who was then declared Locum Tenens. And, of course, this time his telegrams reached their destination. The new Locum Tenens hastily consecrated several bishops from among his supporters in the clergy, thus "packing the court".Your, Holiness, my deep gratitude for your personal participation in the solemn acts of my election and enthronement as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. You have warmed us with your love and bore witness to the indissoluble ties of friendship and fraternity that exist between our Autocephalous Churches…
+ Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
(JMP, No. 3, 1978, p. 3)
Metropolitan Gaioz was forced, for appearance sake, to participate in the election and enthronement of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. He was made to place the Patriarchal panagias and cross around the neck of the new Primate -- a bitter pill to swallow indeed! Soon thereafter Metropolitan Gaioz was arrested and charged with various crimes, including theft of church property, speculation in foreign currency, and moral depravity. The public prosecutor asked for the maximum sentence permitted by the law code then in force, which was fifteen years imprisonment. However, the plaintiff on behalf of the Church, Archimandrite Nicholas Makharadze, demanded the death penalty! Metropolitan Gaioz was eventually sentenced to fifteen years in prison and served the full term.
Once elected Patriarch, Ilia II zealously continued his ecumenical activities. The Georgian Orthodox Church publishes its own official journal, Djvari Vazisa (The Grapevine Cross). Issue No. 2 for 1980 carried an intriguing announcement in the section Church Chronicle:
In November of the present year, by order[5] of the Council for Religious Affairs of the USSR Council of Ministers, and with the blessing of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, the Georgian Patriarchate has prepared for publication a booklet titled: The Orthodox Church in Georgia. This booklet will be published in five languages and is intended for distribution abroad. In it is recounted the glorious past of the Georgian Church, as well as her contemporary activities, both at home and abroad. The booklet is well designed and is illustrated throughout with color photographs.[6] (p. 53)Turning to the text of the booklet itself, one reads in the English-language section:
The internal and international prestige of the Georgian Orthodox Church is growing with every passing year. She is now a full and active member of such well-known international organizations as the World Council of Churches, the Christian Peace Conference and the Conference of European Churches.When in 1979 Patriarch Ilia II was thus elected one of the six presidents of the World Council of Churches, he then inserted the new title into the text of his official commemoration during the church services: "For our Great Lord and Father, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, President of the World Council of Churches, Ilia II."! He likewise used the title when issuing his annual Paschal and Christmas encyclicals, and in all published accounts of his ecumenical activities abroad (e.g.: Grapevine Cross, No. 2, 1981, p. 3). One would have thought that such a venerable and glorious title as Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia should have been sufficient for anyone. "For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."(John 12:43)The Georgian Orthodox Church values highly the ecumenical movement. Her Primate, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, is the founder of ecumenism in Georgia and one of its leading figures in the world. For many years now he has been taking an active part in international ecclesiastical meetings and congresses at which he calls Christians to unity, peace and brotherhood.
At the session of the WCC Central Committee in Kingston, Jamaica, in January 1979, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, was elected one of the six presidents of the World Council of Churches, which undoubtedly is a recognition of his contribution to present-day ecumenism.
Earlier in that same issue of Djvari Vazisa, in the section Church Chronicle, the following startling admission is made:
August 10 [1980]: During the Sunday Liturgy in the Sioni Cathedral, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, gave Holy Communion to a group of twenty French Roman Catholics from Paris. This was remarkable since, in the centuries-old history of the Georgian Church, this was the first case of Roman Catholics receiving Communion in the Orthodox Church. That same evening the Catholicos-Patriarch received the delegation of French Roman Catholics and conversed with them. (The Grapevine Cross, No. 2, 1980, pp. 51-52)Remarkable indeed, especially in view of the fact that at that time there was a functioning Roman Catholic church in Tbilisi!
The official printed wall calendar of the Georgian Orthodox Church for 1986 contains a striking photograph. Standing on the ambo of Sioni Cathedral is Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, in full vestments and bearing a Cross in his hands. Standing next to him, and in his own vestments, is the Rev. Victor de Waal, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, who is wearing on his breast the pectoral cross of a Georgian Orthodox priest, which had just been bestowed on him by the Patriarch.
Another issue of Djvari Vazisa contains a lengthy account of the official visit (February 8-19, 1981) of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II to Switzerland at the invitation of the World Council of Churches and of the Federation of Swiss Evangelical Churches. The delegation from the Georgian Orthodox Church arrived in Geneva on Sunday, February 8.
On February 11 Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II paid a call on the Head of the Soviet mission to the UN Assembly, Z. Mironov, with whom he had a cordial discussion.On February 14 the delegation of the Georgian Church visited the Abbey of St. Maurice. …The speech made by Patriarch Ilia II was mainly dedicated to peace and justice: "Genuine followers of Christ must bear many sufferings, until the kingdom of God be established on earth… the construction of the kingdom of God on earth is the will of God… First and foremost this concerns Christian solidarity, the unification of various currents into one church, whose Head and Saviour is Jesus Christ."
On February 15 Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and President of the World Council of Churches, Ilia II attended Sunday services at the [Protestant] church of Nydeck in Bern, conducted by the pastor, Kurt Mart.[7] …Afterwards the Georgian delegation was received by the Federation of Swiss Evangelical Churches. At this meeting His Beatitude Ilia II made a speech which was dedicated to the significance of the Ecumenical movement, and the necessity of annihilating the stockpiles of weapons which threaten the existence of mankind.That the naive Protestants should offer Patriarch Ilia such a dubious compliment is perhaps understandable, but that the Georgian Orthodox Church would then print such a statement speaks volumes. To questions from the Swiss press concerning the persecution of Christians in the USSR, Patriarch Ilia II gave coy and evasive answers.That same evening Patriarch Ilia II celebrated vespers in the old Catholic church of Bern. …On February 16 he participated in the evening service in the chapel of the principal church in Schaffhausen, after which he met with the local pastors and delivered a speech before them.
The visit of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II was broadly commented upon by the Swiss mass media: "Ilia II is a remarkable Ecumenical figure, the heir of Metropolitan Nikodim Rotov [of Leningrad]".[8] (Grapevine Cross, No. 1, 1981, pp. 6-15; 54-55)
Yet another issue of Djvari Vazisa features the report by Metropolitan Nicholas (Makharadze), Chairman of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Georgian Orthodox Church: "The Georgian Church at the Present Stage of the Ecumenical Movement".
Today… a matter of great import is the spiritual unification of peoples in the all-embracing love in Jesus Christ.At the Paschal Liturgy in 1984 Patriarch Ilia gave Communion to two Roman Catholic priestmonks from Austria who were attending the service in the Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi. Numerous clergy and faithful witnessed this; some protested vehemently.The lofty goal of the union of Churches is pursued by the Ecumenical movement, which has spread throughout the whole world.
…The Georgian Church and its leader, Ilia II, President of the World Council of Churches, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia,[9] attaches great importance to the Ecumenical movement, supports it, and applies all efforts to contribute to its development and strengthening, and also to establish new contacts with fraternal churches. (Grapevine Cross, No. 1, 1983, p. 60)
The San Diego Union-Tribune for November 4, 1989, reported the Eastern Orthodox rites planned in conjunction with the city's art festival:
Archpriest Zurab Siradve, representing Patriarch Ilia II of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union, will be the principal celebrant, said Dr. Issa J. Khalil, a spokesman for the San Diego Eastern Orthodox Churches.…In the Spring of 1994, Patriarch Ilia II proclaimed from the ambo of the Sveti-Tskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta -- the preeminent church of Georgia -- that "the Oriental Orthodox Churches have recognized the [Ecumenical] Councils, and have accepted Orthodoxy." This took place during the visit to Georgia of Metropolitan Damascene of Switzerland, Director of the Patriarchal Center in Chambésy (Geneva), and Professor Phidas of the University of Athens, Theologian of the State Church of Greece. At that time no one in Georgia had the faintest idea what was meant by the term "Oriental Orthodox Churches". This deceptive pronouncement was followed by a propaganda campaign in the mass media claiming that the Armenians, of whom there are many in Georgia, and other Monophysites, had supposedly accepted the Orthodox Faith and could now be permitted to receive Holy Communion in the Georgian Orthodox Church. The truth only became known later when contradictory information refuting these statements was received from Mount Athos and other sources abroad. The attempts on the part of some of the Georgian clergy and laity to investigate this issue and to explain the truth to the common people only evoked the bitter animosity of the Patriarchate.Khalil, member of the committee arranging the Balboa Park service, said that the first half-hour of the service will include Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and perhaps Baha'i participants. The second half-hour will be an Orthodox vespers service in which Siradve will be the principal celebrant.
In 1997 Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II was shown some of the anti-Ecumenical videos now circulating among the Orthodox, which contain explicit and revealing footage of the syncretistic events which have taken place at Ecumenical gatherings, and in which the Orthodox representatives have participated. According to the concerned clergy present, Patriarch Ilia grew quite agitated and alarmed -- but, alas, not for the proper reason. Rather, he ordered them to gather up whatever copies there were of these videos, and to destroy them, lest the laity see them and learn what is the true face of Ecumenism!
Ecumenical News International, while reporting the Georgian Orthodox Church's decision to leave the WCC, declared that "Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II has had an outstanding record as an ecumenical leader, serving as one of the WCC's presidents from 1979 to 1983" (Bulletin No. 11, June 11, 1997, pp. 10-12).
In a press release published in the Moscow newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, July 24, 1997, Protopriest Vasily Kobakhidze, head of the Georgian Patriarchate's Press Center declared :
The Georgian Patriarchate has stated more than once that the Ecumenical movement is not a heresy; the purpose of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches' participation in the Ecumenical movement is one: so that every man would become a member of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. This is the foundation of Orthodox ecumenism.Most telling were the public festivities held last year on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the enthronement of Ilia II asThe Ecumenical movement does not have a common doctrine or a single set of rules. Each member preaches its own teaching, and the Orthodox -- the teaching of the Orthodox Church.
The WCC is an arena, a forum, where the Orthodox Church has the opportunity to conduct a theological discussion with the Protestant world. …The participation of the Orthodox Churches in the Ecumenical movement has produced many positive results.
To mark the occasion Liturgy was served in all the churches, a reception was held at the Patriarchate, and conferences, exhibitions and theatrical productions were organized. The documentary film, The Revival of Faith, shot by Georgian and German film makers, and devoted to the activities of Ilia II, was shown at the Shota Rustaveli State Academic Theater in Tbilisi. (Who says that the Cult of Personality is dead in Georgia?!)
At the televised gala concert in the opera theater, President Shevardnadze revealed: "When in 1977 difficulties arose in the Church over the election of a Patriarch, we considered the matter and decided in favor of Ilia, and this decision has proved to be correct."! If one recalls that at that time Shervardnadze was First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Georgia, then one will realize the full significance of his statement here: "we decided…"! For his part, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II told those gathered how, for many years after the Russian Revolution, the Russian Orthodox Church had refused to recognize the re-established autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church, but that finally, under coercion from the Soviet government, Patriarch Sergius of Moscow and his synod finally did accept it in 1943. Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II continued his account: "This, you must know, this great service was rendered us by Joseph Stalin."! (Thunderous applause in the auditorium) He then went on to relate how on Soviet holidays they had been required to send greetings to the central Soviet Government on behalf of the Church, and how it had been imperative that in said letter they declare that the Georgian Orthodox Church fully supports the internal and foreign policies of the USSR. "That suited them, and thus they were assured that the Church did not offer any resistance whatsoever," commented the Patriarch.
"No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16:13)As has already been reported elsewhere, a sizable group of pious Orthodox Christians in Georgia has now broken off communion with Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II because of his deep involvement in the heresy of Ecumenism.[12] The subsequent withdrawal of the Georgian Orthodox Church from the World Council of Churches greatly alarmed ecumenists throughout the world. Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, commenting upon this fact, warned that "a small explosion in Georgia can become a tremendous explosion in Russia." He went on to describe the Ecumenical movement as his "home" and declared that "what is going on today is a personal tragedy" (Ecumenical News International, Bulletin No. 18, September 17, 1997, p. 20).
Seeking to deflect public attention from the real spiritual issues which have been raised by the zealots, the Patriarchate has persistently sought to politicize the non-commemorators' stance in defense of the Orthodox Faith, and to depict these pious Christian monastics and their faithful flock as traitors to Georgia. At this point let us review some other statements made by Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II and the officials of the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church concerning the dissenters:
1) In the officially published
protocol of the May, 20, 1997, session of the Holy Synod of the Georgian
Orthodox Church, signed by
Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II and all his bishops, the
"activities of those clergymen and laymen who have severed eucharistic
communion with the Georgian and other Orthodox Churches" were declared
to be "anti-ecclesiastical and anti-national"! And, while withdrawing
from the World Council of Churches, the Patriarch and his synod at the
same time banned the non-commemorators from serving as clergymen or from
receiving Holy Communion.
2) During an interview which appeared (in both Russian and English) in the Information Bulletin of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, July 19, 1997, Protopriest Vasily Kobakhidze, head of the Georgian Patriarchate's Press Center alleged that:
Definite political forces have been supporting and financing, and continue to finance, these people… On May 20 the building of the Patriarchate was surrounded by armed forces, and in order to avoid a confrontation in the Church, which could have developed into a confrontation in society, and have led to destabilization in the government, and possibly even to bloodshed, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II and the Holy Synod were forced to take the decision to leave the Ecumenical movement, the WCC, and the CEC.Further in this same interview, and later in a press release published in the Moscow newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta (July 24, 1997), Fr. Vasily Kobakhidze claimed that the non-commemorators had, with the help of thugs, violently seized control of various monasteries and churches in Georgia, and had even verbally and physically assaulted hierarchs and clergy of the official Georgian Orthodox Church. In actual fact, it was the State Church which had resorted to violence in order to evict the zealots from the monasteries and convents where they had been living.
3) On November 20, 1997, Archbishop Abraham of Sagaredjo and Gurdjaani, (Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations and Rector of the Ecclesiastical Seminary and Academy of Tbilisi), wrote a formal letter to the mayor of the village of Patardzeuli, Merab Ustiashvili, seeking to turn him against the zealot fathers who had recently bought property there and founded a monastery. The Archbishop also appealed in writing to the local officials of the Sagaredjo region, asking that "appropriate measures be taken against the so-called clergymen who are continuing their anti-Church activities, which at the same time contradict State and national interests".
4) On December 9, 1997, an official representative of the Patriarchate of Georgia declared on national television that Protopresbyter Andrew Boroda, rector of the Dormition parish formed by the non-commemorators, is "the leader of a band of criminals, and an enemy of the Georgian Church and people".
5) The statement of the Press Center of the Patriarchate of Georgia, and which was published in the government's official newspaper Sakartvelos Respublica (The Georgian Republic), December 14, 1997, declares:
…the former priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Andrew Boroda-Cohen…[13] is the most active member and chief ideologist of this group of apostates from the Church… he and his adherents are noted for their astonishing lack of logic. On the one hand they declare themselves to be "uncompromising" defenders of Orthodoxy, on the other hand, they deny our past and our traditions, they preach total religious freedom -- and the recognition of the special role of the Orthodox Church in our country they call a manifestation of Fascism and the spirit of Bolshevism… A. Boroda and his group are the realization of the goals of definite political forces and are the instigators of religious dissension.6) On January 1, 1998, it was learned that Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II and Archbishop Abraham had summoned the mayor of the village of Patardzeuli, Merab Ustiashvili, and sought to prevail upon him not to allow the dissenting monks to serve in the churches standing empty in the village, despite the requests of the villagers themselves. The Patriarch and his Archbishop alleged that:
The monks and priests have been bought by the Americans for big money. Prior to this the Americans had attempted to use the Jehovah's Witnesses, who did not justify their hopes, and now they [the Americans] have contrived to use these monks and priests for the destruction of the Church. All of them are enemies of the Georgian people.7) The brochure of Protopriest Vasily Kobakhidze, Head of the Press Center of the Georgian Orthodox Church, claims that:The frightened mayor related all of this to Fr. Gabriel, the Abbot, having added that he had also been summoned by a certain Badri Khatitze, who is the one on the President's staff responsible for regional administration (i.e., he directly appoints all the local administrators), and he told the mayor the same thing. Apparently the mayor was even invited into the local headquarters of the Ministry of State Security, where they intimidated him in the same manner. The monks later asked him whether or not he had any sort of documents from these encounters with the authorities. The mayor replied: "What sort of arguments do the KGB offer? They tell you something once or twice, and then, bang, that's all!"
According to the demands of J. Sheklashvili [Archimandrite John], the Georgian Orthodox Church should have become a member of an international, schismatic group… as for the former priest, Andrew Boroda-Cohen, it is noteworthy that he is obviously an agent for a foreign intelligence service. I have a copy of the instructions which he received from abroad. These instructions entrust A. Boroda-Cohen to agitate so that the Georgian Parliament does not grant special status to the Orthodox Church.8) On January 16, 1998, the news program of Channel One of the Georgian Television Company (this is the official channel), and of some other channels, several times broadcasted a press conference of the representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church. (Fr. Andrew Boroda's parishioners later told him about it.) The Patriarchate's people declared that the dissenters are sectarians, traitors, enemies of the people, degenerates, American agents, ones who have become involved with some schismatics in America, who are attempting to destroy the Orthodox Church, and other such tales. Fr. Andrew Boroda was singled out in particular: he arrived from America with the assignment to destroy the Georgian Orthodox Church, to stop the government from granting special privileges to her, etc.
9) On February 14, 1998, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia himself announced on national television that both the latest assassination attempt on President Shevardnazde's life, and the recent schism in the Georgian Church, have one and the same source and aim.
10) From the local insert to the newspaper Arguments and Facts:
According to the head of the Patriarchate's chancellery, Zurab Tskhovrebadze, the schismatic Andrew Boroda has also done his bit, asserting that the official Orthodox Church of Georgia is infringing upon the rights of religious minorities, and is guided by fundamentalist ideology. "The variant proposed by Andrew Boroda, was worked out at the bidding of certain, definite forces in the USA, and does not correspond with the interests of Georgia," declared Zurab Tskhovrebadze. At the same time he emphasized that the Patriarchate of Georgia considers necessary the passing of just such a law, according to which the Orthodox Church, which has united the inhabitants of the land during the course of many centuries, would have a privileged status. (No. 3/63, 1998)In a similar vein, the Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, ecumenical officer for the Orthodox Church in America, stated that Patriarch Ilia II is "convinced that religious freedom is a necessity and must be maintained, but he does not see some form of temporary regulation as contradictory" (The Washington Post, May 16, 1998, p. B10).
11) Recently the Press Center of the Georgian Orthodox Church broadcasted on national television a Soviet-style, staged "interview" with Fr. Eutychius, a priest-monk who previously had severed communion with Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. During this television program Fr. Eutychius recanted, and then urged others to follow his example and return to the official Church.
12) On May 7, 1998, during a telephone conversation, Fr. Andrew Boroda reported that the central authorities have been putting more pressure on the village administration in Patardzeuli, where the monastery is located. The local officials are now telling the villagers that the inhabitants of the monastery are all Jews! Furthermore, the village leaders are demanding that the young people sign pledges not to visit the monastery, which, of course, is totally illegal and violates the Georgian Constitution.
13) Another ominous development: When the members of the parish of the Dormition of the Theotokos, located in Tbilisi, the capital, recently sought to purchase property for construction of a church, they were told by the municipal authorities to first bring them permission from the Patriarchate. So much for separation of Church and State in the Republic of Georgia! At the same time no such requirements or obstacles are put in the way of other religious bodies: the Lutherans have recently built themselves a church; the Roman Catholics are remodeling theirs, and have already completed a new hospital -- all with the blessing, warm approval, and cooperation of Patriarch Ilia II! It is only the true Orthodox Christians who are being discriminated against because the Patriarchate sees them as the competition, and feels threatened by their stance for piety.
14) Since May 16 the State Church and its followers have begun to collect signatures on a petition for a legislative initiative to make certain amendments to the Georgian Constitution. Of course, it is an attempt on their part to crush all opposition, especially the Orthodox non-commemorators, or similar groups. It is unlikely that this crude attempt will be crowned with success, but the very fact of their trying is very significant. The following text is an extract from the Proposals for Constitutional Changes issued by the official State Church and some functionaries from among the President's circle, and other ideologists of the "Georgian national idea".
Amendments to the Constitution:Firstly, this is an obvious attempt to transform Christianity, as such, into a regional, provincial ideology. Secondly, it is a ploy to use the Constitution in order to monopolize the right to perform church services, and also to determine, by means of the Constitution, the structure and form of church government. This is an attempt to legally register certain rights to governance in the Church, again by means of the State Constitution. The vague formulation, "directly or indirectly", could be applied to anything which might be displeasing to the hierarchy in power. And the definition, "which is separate from the State", would make the hierarchy subject to absolutely no one.9) Orthodox Christianity is the traditional state religion of Georgia; this means that the government ideology of Georgia and the education system are based on Orthodoxy.
Orthodox divine services in Georgia are conducted by the Georgian Autocephalous Apostolic Church, which is separate from the State, and whose supreme ruling organ is the Holy Synod. No one whosoever has the right to encroach, either directly or indirectly, upon the unity of the Georgian Apostolic Church.
10) Persecution or coercion of other confessions is inadmissible.
Point No. 10 is, on the one hand, an attempt on the part of the Church to decline responsibility for violations in the sphere of freedom of conscience, while at the same time untying their hands in the actual sphere of current events -- against those dissatisfied elements within the Church and all those who bear the name of Orthodox Christian.
Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II arrived recently in the USA on a reciprocal visit to Metropolitan Theodosius, following the latter's trip to Georgia in 1997. While here the Patriarch was scheduled to attend the commencement exercises at both St. Vladimir's and St. Tikhon's seminaries, meet with various government officials in New York and Washington, and, of course, be received by many prominent religious leaders, both Orthodox and heterodox alike.
This trip was replete with the accolades, awards, banquets, etc., so typical of such affairs. During the commencement ceremonies at St. Tikhon's, an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was bestowed on Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. He had already received a similar honor from St. Vladimir's during his visit to the United States in 1986. This time Patriarch Ilia was presented with the highest award given by the OCA, the Order of St. Innocent, Gold Class.[14] "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets" (Luke 6:26).
In his welcoming remarks Metropolitan Theodosius recalled the difficulties of church life under the Soviet regime, and he then went on to tell Patriarch Ilia: "And yet you and the holy church of Georgia remained steadfast confessors of the Holy Orthodox Faith and strong witnesses to the Risen Christ" (Official Press Release of the OCA, May 14, 1998).
The OCA's Press Release for May 22, 1998, reports concerning the festive luncheon, given by Metropolitan Theodosius jointly for both Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia and Patriarch Karekin I of Armenia, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City:
In attendance at this luncheon were numerous religious leaders from the tri-state area, including… John Cardinal O'Connor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, Archbishop Barsamian of the Armenian Church, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Newark, Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, Bishop Richard Grein of the Episcopal Church, and the Rev. Bruce Robins of the United Methodist Church.An interesting and impressive group of luncheon companions for someone who has supposedly withdrawn from the Ecumenical movement!! The press release continues:
His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Archdiocese, and His Eminence, Archbishop Spyridon of the Greek Archdiocese, each received the Patriarch [Ilia II] in their respective chanceries for a dinner-reception, with numerous Orthodox and Oriental hierarchs and clergy in attendance. Other New York receptions included the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, National Council of Churches, and a private luncheon hosted by the Secretary General of the United Nations.On May 21, 1998, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II was the guest of honor at a Doxology and dinner hosted by Archbishop Spyridon, Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, at the Archdiocese. The official Press Release reports:
In welcoming His Beatitude to the ecumenical gathering in his honor, Archbishop Spyridon said: "…You find in us an assembly of brothers and sisters committed to the well-being of the Georgian people. …In work and prayer, all of us in this room are joined with you."As reported above, while in New York, Patriarch Ilia was the guest of the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches.[15] One wonders, what need did Patriarch Ilia have to meet with her (or any of the other ecumenists in the USA), if his church has truly renounced Ecumenism? Especially since earlier in that very same month of May, during an interview in Poland, he had complained of the "worldliness" of the Protestant churches and had stressed that they had made "a great mistake" in ordaining women as clergy, and that "it is something new and entirely unnecessary".[16] What must the Rev. Joan Campbell have thought of that?! To telephone inquiries seeking for more details concerning this luncheon meeting, the NCC Press Office enigmatically replied that "it had been requested that coverage of the event be kept low-key, thus no press release or photographs concerning it were issued."!…Invited guests included… Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, National Council of Churches, and Rabbi James Rudin, American Jewish Committee.
His Beatitude [Ilia II] said, responding to His Eminence [Archbishop Spyridon]: "…through you, I greet His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew… the Georgian Patriarchate is always for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and we also so highly value Your Eminence and your great ministry."
Just prior to Patriarch Ilia II's arrival in America, representatives of "World Orthodoxy" were frantically seeking to defuse the crisis over Ecumenism in their Local Churches. High-level representatives of the fifteen Autocephalous Orthodox Churches assembled in Thessalonika from April 29 to May 2, 1998.[17] Then, at the invitation of the WCC, the Eastern Orthodox and "Oriental Orthodox" Churches sent representatives to a Pre-WCC Assembly meeting in Damascus, May 1-13. Yet the official report of this meeting reads in part: "The Orthodox Churches have affirmed the WCC since its birth in 1948, and join in celebrating its 50th anniversary this year." As Dr. John Fitzgerald, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and moderator of the WCC's Orthodox task force, stated concerning the Damascus session: "We are not reneging on ecumenism."[18] Next, Armenian Catholicos Aram I urged that the Mixed Theological Commission, proposed by the Thessalonika meeting, and consisting of representatives from the Orthodox Churches and from the other member churches of the WCC, meet in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 22-24. This meeting has since been postponed indefinitely.
From all that has been said above, one would perhaps be justified in assuming that Patriarch Ilia II and those like him are confirmed and dedicated Ecumenists, and that any supposedly 'anti-ecumenical' measures adopted by them up until now have simply been tactical maneuvers which they have been compelled to take in order to placate the protesting believers. May this assumption prove to be false, and may these hierarchs find the strength to finally break with the Ecumenical Movement at last! If not, the pious flock knows what course it must take…
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (John 10:5)
[1] From the address delivered at the awards ceremony at which Patriarch Ilia II received his honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from St. Tikhon’s Seminary. See the Internet report at: http://www.stots.edu.
[2] The italics throughout these quotations have been added by the authors of the present article.
[3] Platina, California: Saint Herman of Alaska Press, 1982, pp. 549-51.
[4] Information posted on the Internet by Vladimir Moss on orthodox@listserv.indiana.edu, July 17, 1997, p. 1.
[5] The Georgian word used here, motkhovnit, means more than a request, but less than a demand or ukaz. However, it does connote compulsion.
[6] Very revealing is the fact that this booklet actually bears the label: "Publication of the Moscow Patriarchate — 1983"!
[7] It is noteworthy that for the Orthodox Christians this was the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple, and the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee!
[8] For a better idea of how appropriate is this comparison to the infamous Nikodim, see the article "On the Death of a Soviet Bishop", in Orthodox Christian Witness, Vol. 12, No. 10, 1978, pp. 1-8.
[9] Note the order in which his titles are given here!
[10] Tolerance that is, for everyone but the true Orthodox Christians who are zealous for the Faith!
[11] ITAR-TASS News Agency, December 23, 1997.
[12] See: Orthodox Christian Witness, Vol. 30, No. 21, 1997, pp. 2-5; OCW, Vol. 31, No. 2, 1997, pp. 2-5; and OCW, Vol. 31, No. 12, 1998, pp. 2-10.
[13] Cohen being his mother’s maiden name; cited by them here in a base attempt to depict Fr. Andrew as an alien and non-Georgian.
[14] Of course, during the Patriarch’s visit no mention was made in all the laudatory reports concerning the difficulties he is facing at home from some of the more zealous members of his flock. But then, why embarrass an honored guest with unpleasant details? For example, the short history of the Georgian Church which appears in Alive In Christ (Vol. 14, No. 1, 1998), the magazine of the OCA’s Eastern Pennsylvania Diocese, conveniently ends the account in 1991 when Georgia regained her independence.
[15] See her very illuminating Welcome Page at the NCC web site: http://www.ncccusa.org.
[16] Ecumenical News International, Bulletin No. 10, May 27, 1998, pp. 20-21.
[17] For an Orthodox analysis of this meeting, see the excellent encyclical in Orthodox Christian Witness, Vol. 31, No. 22, 1998, pp. 2-11.
[18] Ecumenical News International,
Bulletin No. 10, May 27, 1998, pp. 21-22.