INTERNET SOURCE: http://georgiatoday.ge/news/4708/Radical-Nationalist-Groups,-Georgian-Orthodox-Priests-Protest-Papal-Visit
Radical Nationalist
Groups, Georgian Orthodox Priests Protest Papal Visit
TBILISI
– A group of Georgian Orthodox ultranationalists and priests held a rally
Wednesday (21 September 2016) afternoon outside the Vatican Embassy in Tbilisi
to protest the upcoming visit of Pope Francis.
The
group claimed the papal visit is an affront to the purity of the Georgian
Orthodox and an insult to the Georgian people as the Holy See is anathema to
the beliefs of Orthodox Christianity.
One
of the organizers of the rally, Avtandil Ungiadze, claimed the protesters were
there to “preserve the reputation of the true church”, and vowed to bar Pope
Francis from entering the 11th century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in
nearby Mtskheta.
The
cathedral, whose name translates in English as “the Cathedral of the Living
Pillar”, is considered the Georgian Orthodox Church’s most venerated place of
worship. Orthodox believers claim the church houses Christ’s Mantle – the tunic
reportedly worn by Christ at the time of his crucifixion.
The
organizers of the rally claim that the Pope’s visit to the cathedral and
Mtskheta – the site of Georgia’s 4th century conversion to
Christianity – amounts to “a spiritual aggression by the Vatican and an attempt
by the Catholic Church to colonize Georgia.”
Pope
Francis plans to attend a mass at the Cathedral and meet with the head of the
Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, during his three-day visit to the
small South Caucasus nation that begins September 30.
The
protestors believe a papal visit to the birthplace of Georgian Orthodoxy
amounts to an attempt by the Vatican to proselytize to Georgia’s estimated 3
million Eastern Orthodox believers.
Holding
signs reading, "Pope Arch-heretic. You are not
welcome in Georgia" and "Stay far away
from Georgia Antichrist," Ungiadze and other protestors refused to
comment of whether the rally had been sanctioned by the Georgian
Patriarchate.
Local
news outlet Netgazeti later reported that the Patriarchate has denied any
involvement with the protestors, but refused to reprimand the priests who
attended the rally.
The
rally was the latest in a series of provocative acts that brought together
ultranationalists and members of the Georgian Orthodox Church. In 2013, the two
took part in a violent crackdown on a Gay Pride rally in Tbilisi that left
dozens severely injured.
In
May, Georgian nationalists led by the eccentric Levan Vasadze – whom news
platform Coda
Story described as “a dagger-sporting homophobic knight dressed in Georgian
national attire” – members of the Georgian church and far-right Christian
extremists from Russia and the US gathered in Tbilisi for the World Congress of
Families.
The
gathering echoed calls by Russia’s powerful Patriarch Kirill, who has claimed
women’s and LBGT rights are “antithetical to Orthodox beliefs and traditional
family values”.
Georgia’s
Orthodox Church has fostered close ties with the Moscow Patriarchate over the
last decade. Earlier this year, it joined Russia and Serbia in boycotting a
Holy Synod – the first in more than 1,000 years – called by the Patriarchate of
Constantinople, as the three churches objected to several modest modernization
initiatives that were to be discussed by the various churches that make up
Eastern Orthodoxy.
The
Western and Eastern branches of Christianity formally split into two competing
branches in 1054 over political and theological differences.
The ecclesiastical
differences and theological disputes between the Greek East and Latin
West pre-dated the formal rupture that occurred in the mid-11th
century. Chief among these were issues concerning the concept of
the Holy Spirit, whether to use unleavened bread in the
Eucharist, Rome's claim to universal jurisdiction over the Christian
world and the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople.
The
main doctrinal split can be found in Roman Catholicism's (and later
Protestantism) belief in the equal duality of Christ's divine and human nature,
while Orthodoxy mainly focuses on Christ’s mystic divinity in the form of a
man.
Relations
between the two branches have been fraught over the centuries, though a
rapprochement has been on-going since Constantinople Patriarch Bartolomew and
former Pope John Paul II first met in the early 2000s.
Despite
claims by the protestors outside the Vatican Embassy that Georgia is a strictly
Orthodox nation, recent statistics say Orthodox Christians make up 86 per cent
of Georgia's population, while Roman Catholics - who have been in Georgia since
the 14th century - make up only 1 per cent.
The
country’s second largest religious group, Muslims, account for roughly 13 per
cent of the overall population.
Georgia’s
2,500-year-old Jewish population has dwindled in the last 20 years due to high
levels of emigration to Israel.
By
Nicholas Waller
22
September 2016 13:36
INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.pravmir.com/georgias-orthodox-parents-protest-pope-visit/
Georgia’s “Orthodox
Parents” protest against pope visit
Source:
Interfax-religion
admin | 22 September 2016
Tbilisi, September 21,
Interfax - Several dozen representatives of the public organization Union of
Orthodox Parents on Wednesday conducted a protest near the building of the
Vatican embassy in Tbilisi against the visit to Georgia of Pope Francis in late
September.
The
protesters told reporters that “Orthodox Georgians do
not need the pope’s blessing.” They were holding posters protesting the
pope’s visit. One of them said “The Vatican is a
spiritual aggressor!”
Meanwhile,
Guiseppe Pasotto, bishop of the Catholic Church in Georgia, told reporters it
is unclear to him why anyone should protest the pope’s visit to Georgia.
“The
pope is coming to Georgia as a peace messenger. Why should anyone be against
that? As far as I know, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia is not
against this visit,” Pasotto said.
During
his visit, which will take place in the period between September 30 through
October 2, the pope will meet in Tbilisi with Ilia II, representatives of
various religious groups and top officials of Georgia and will conduct a mass
in a stadium, he said.
Georgia: 'Vatican is a spiritual aggressor' - Orthodox Church faction decries Pope Francis' visitPublished on Oct 1, 2016Dozens of Georgian Orthodox Church believers took to the streets of Tbilisi, on Saturday, to protest against a solemn mass conducted by Pope Francis who is on official two-day visit to the country.
SOT, Protester (Russian): "We are protesting against proselytism which is being conducted by Pope [Francis]. Proselytism is prohibited in the whole world. And this is a real proselytism because we are aware that they have been distributing invitations in schools, universities, at work, homes for elderly people. And elderly people are afraid because they think if they don't go there, they would force them out. This is called violence and proselytism. We are against it. If Catholics want to pray, they are welcome, nobody disturbs them."
Video ID: 20161001-030
Video on Demand: http://www.ruptly.tv
Contact: cd@ruptly.tv
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ruptly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RuptlyVIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URy3ooFce-M
INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/orthodox-church-snubs-pope-francis-georgia-161001161658569.html
Orthodox Church snubs Pope Francis in Georgia
Mass conducted in near-empty stadium in Tbilisi as local patriarchate declines to take part over "dogmatic differences".
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Some Orthodox priests
have been protesting at a visit by Pope Francis to Georgia, where the pontiff
has been celebrating Mass.
|
Pope
Francis has wrapped up a visit to Georgia with fresh gestures of friendship
towards the Orthodox Church despite being snubbed by the local patriarchate.
Francis
celebrated mass on Saturday in Tbilisi's Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, where fewer
than 3,000 of the facility's 27,000 seats were filled.
"A mass by Pope Francis to a half-empty stadium shows just how
much of a minority Catholics are in Georgia," said Al Jazeera's Robin
Forestier-Walker, reporting from Tbilisi.
"More than 80 percent of the population is Georgian Orthodox
Christian."
The
Vatican had expected the Georgian Orthodox Church to send a delegation to the
mass in Tbilisi, even though the patriarchate announced earlier this week that
its clergy could not take part "due to dogmatic differences" dating
back to the Middle Ages.
In
the end, Greg Burke, the Vatican spokesman, confirmed that no
Orthodox bishops showed up.
Closing
mass, Francis strayed from a scripted speech, thanking ordinary Orthodox
"faithful", rather than official church representatives, for
attending the service.
Georgian
President Giorgi Margvelashvili was also present.
"Dear
brothers and sisters, let us take up this call: To not bury ourselves in what
is going wrong around us or be saddened by the lack of harmony between
us," Francis said.
Nationalist
groups, supported by Orthodox priests, have staged several protests
against Francis's visit, depicting him as an "Antichrist" and a
"spiritual aggressor".
Some
protesters at the event also accused Francis of seeking to convert Georgians to
Catholicism.
"When the head of the Catholic Church says that we should seek
forgiveness from gay people, this means that he goes against Christ," Father David, from Parents of
Orthodoxy, told Al Jazeera.
Al
Jazeera's Forestier-Walker said: "For some, there can be no harmony
unless you're Georgian, Orthodox and heterosexual.
"Homophobic,
Islamophobic or xenophobic sentiments are not the exclusive preserve of radical
or fringe groups in Georgia. They regularly find expression in the political
and religious mainstream."
The
conservative Georgian Orthodox church is tied to the Moscow patriarchate, and
both have strained but improving relations with the Vatican, as part of
slow-moving efforts to heal the 1,000-year-old Orthodox-Catholic rift.
Adultery criticised
Francis,
seen as progressive on some issues, also used his Georgian visit to defend the
indissolubility of marriage.
He
said adultery is inspired by "the Devil" and urged anyone tempted to
betray their spouse to "seek immediate help".
"We
must do everything to save a marriage," said Francis, defining divorce as
an affront to God that makes children suffer, and insisting that "three
magic words" - excuse me, thank you and sorry - can relieve marital
strife.
Francis
also complained about a "world war to destroy marriage" waged with
"gender theory", which the Vatican criticises for offering a more
flexible interpretation of a person's gender identity.
Francis'
trip is part of a three-day pilgrimage to the Caucasus area, which straddles
Europe, Russia and the Middle East, focused on peace and religious tolerance.
Francis
already toured the region in June when he visited Armenia.
The journey ends on Sunday in Azerbaijan, an oil-rich majority Muslim nation with an a Catholic minority that is even smaller than Georgia's, and a territorial dispute with Armenia over the province of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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Georgian Orthodox protestors line the streets
of Tbilisi on Pope Francis' arrival to Georgia, Sept. 30, 2016. Credit: Alan
Holdren/CNA.
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Georgia: Orthodox priests snub pope visitPublished on Oct 1, 2016Pope Francis is in Georgia to mend relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, who have been divided for almost 1,000 years.
But Orthodox priests have been protesting against his visit, claiming it is an affront to the purity of the Georgian Orthodox religion and people.
Religious and right-wing nationalists have been active in Georgia in advance of parliamentary elections next weekend.
Al Jazeera’s Robin Forestier-Walker reports from Tbilisi.
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