The Orthodox religion
Since the break with Rome in 1054, the Orthodox Church no longer takes the Pope into account. Divided into independent, i.e. autocephalous, churches, each is headed by a patriarch, named catholicosin Georgia. In terms of dogma, there is virtually no difference between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches (the only difference of opinion concerns the Orthodox Dormition, equivalent to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary: for the Orthodox, only her soul has ascended to heaven, unlike the Catholics).
According to legend, Georgia was first Christianized by one of the apostles, Saint 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 Georgia's most venerated saints, took over, devoting her life to converting the rulers and then the whole country. Her work was continued by the thirteen Assyrian Fathers. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Christianity reached a peak that had a real impact on the arts and literature of the Middle Ages.
The catholicos Elijah II
Led by Patriarch Elijah II (Ilia II in Georgian), the Church is officially separate from the state, but plays a predominant role in social and political affairs. Since the implosion of the USSR, the country has experienced a veritable spiritual revival. Despite the agreement signed in 2002 confirming the separation of Church and State and freedom of worship, the Orthodox Church is still the official religion.
Born in 1933 in North Ossetia, Catholicos Elijah II enjoys a very strong spiritual authority, so much so that, at a time when Georgia has been plagued by a very high birth rate since the 1990s, when the patriarch announced that he would personally baptize every third child in a family, he triggered a veritable baby-boom. On the International Day Against Homophobia in May 2013, he encouraged the government not to allow the pro-gay rally. The patriarch claimed it was an "insult to the Georgian nation" and "a violation of the rights of the majority". Denouncing homosexuality as a disease, he then likened it to drug addiction. Such remarks prompted thousands of Georgians to take to the streets of Tbilisi and oppose the demonstrators at the current rally. As the violence intensified, the rally was cancelled and the participants evacuated by bus.
This event reflects the clergy's extremely conservative stance. They see Europe as the cradle of an "individualistic, hedonistic society", and criticize it for "transforming human rights into a catalog of minority rights", which, in the eyes of the Church, are the least responsible.
Internationally, the Georgian Church is strongly influenced by Russia in the political sphere, 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 expression sums up the strong relationship between national identity and religion. With a large majority in the country (over 80% of the population), the Orthodox Church is renowned for its conservatism.
Other historical religions in Georgia
Islam: introduced to Georgia in 645, Islam claims the second-largest following after Christianity. The religion took root in Georgia over the long term as early as 735, following the Arab invasions, with Tbilisi becoming a hub of trade between northern Europe and the Muslim world. Subsequent Turco-Mongol, 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, "if it isn't Orthodox, it isn't Georgian" - provoked a strong emigration of Muslims to Russia.
Georgia is home to two main Muslim groups: the Sunni Hanafites, who live in the autonomous republic of Adjaria, and the Kists, a group close to the Chechens, who live in the Pankissi Gorge and practice Sunni Islam of Sufi obedience. Another community resides in Abkhazia. The Ithna Ashariyah, Shiites, originate from the local Azerbaijani community. Islam is also practiced in the North Caucasus by the Lezguians, Avars, Kurds... The Meskhetes, Sunnis, were deported en masse during the Soviet era (from 100,000 to 1,000). The autonomous republic of Adjaria accounts for 30% of Muslims, the majority.
Armenians in Georgia : they belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, sometimes called the Gregorian Church. It is distinct from Orthodoxy and monophysite (this doctrine asserts that "the son has only one nature, and that it is divine"). It reports directly to Etchmiadzin in Armenia, the equivalent of the Armenian Vatican.
Catholicism in Georgia: in the past, when Georgia was governed by Muslim authorities, some Georgians and Armenians converted to Catholicism in order to benefit from Rome's protection. The Catholic community amounts to 0.5% of the population.
Judaism in Georgia: at an international Jewish congress at the dawn of the 20th 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." Indeed, there was no wave of anti-Semitism in Georgia. The first wave of Jews arrived on Georgian soil in 586 BC, 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 USA, Israel and Russia, only 10,000 still live in Georgia.
The Yezidi Kurds: Yezidism syncretizes elements of Zoroastrianism and Islam. Originally, its followers were Zoroastrians, one of the oldest monotheistic religions, originating in Iran between the 1st and 2nd millennia. When the Persian Empire was invaded by the Arabs, it is thought that they were forced to convert to Islam, before returning to their own religion, while retaining some elements of the Muslim faith. There are around 12,000 Yezidi Kurds in Georgia, or 0.33% of the population. The religion is based on faith in one God, surrounded by seven angels, including the Satan Malek Tawous. He is represented in the form of a peacock, symbolizing power, beauty and diversity. Followers 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, the oldest Zoroastrian temple in Georgia, dates back to the5th century. It was used by Georgian merchants until the early 19th century.
Relations between religions
Georgia is renowned for its tradition of religious tolerance. Nevertheless, the International Court of Human Rights has put pressure on the Georgian authorities to allow certain religious minorities, notably Jehovah's Witnesses, to worship freely. They had previously been the targets of violent attacks by religious extremists. The Court also put pressure on the authorities to set up a Government Agency for Religious Affairs.
As the Orthodox Church refuses to recognize the Roman pontificate, exchanges between the two churches are complex. Nevertheless, the Georgian Orthodox Church is largely dominated by very conservative and ultranationalist currents. These are openly hostile to the West, accused of transmitting "decadent" values. Since Georgia's independence, the Orthodox Church, with its strong social influence, has been the pillar of national identity. Extremist religious movements against other religions and 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".
