Georgian Patriarch Ilia II acts as a politician - only in the interests of Georgia: Interview

The status of the Abkhazian church has been strongly discussed in the Abkhaz society and Internet space  community. The reason for this became a recent statement of  the President Alexander Ankvab, in which  he gave an estimate of the church  problem. Hierodiakon David (Sarsaniya)  the vice-chairman "of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia" in Sukhum answered the questions of  REGNUM correspondent .

REGNUM: Father David, the president of Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab, speaking recently at the Russian-Abkhaz Humanitarian Forum, expressed his attitude to the Abkhaz Orthodox Church;s status. In particular, he said that «the Moscow Patriarchate can and should  take this great mission.» How would you comment on this statement? And is it possible, according to this statement, to assess unambiguously which side Ankvab supports in the Abkhaz Church problem?

I am  not  able to say concretely which side the President of Abkhazia supports. But in the statement  he is saying that :” with deep respect to the  Ecumenical  Patriarch, Constantinople one should say  is very far of  settling the problems of  the Abkhaz church, and one may consider the Russian Church  to participate in  the ordination of the bishop for the Orthodox community of Abkhazia” I think this isn't right.

Officially the Holy Patriarch of all Russia  Kirill, as well as the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) has repeatedly declared this. But independently without the participation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, this problem can not be solved. Ecumenical Patriarchate is the first in the status of the independent Orthodox churches, so its relation to the problems of the Orthodox churches in the world is absolutely different. Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1990 granted autocephaly to the Georgian Orthodox Church Patriarchate. For 25 years, the Georgian Church in relation to the Russian Orthodox Church was a schismatic group, but for all the Orthodox churches, the Georgian church, before being recognized by Ecumenical Patriarchate, remained autonomous within the Russian Orthodox Church.

 REGNUM:  If speaking about the meeting held in March 28 in Sochi, attended by Alexandr Ankvab  and the representatives of  the Russian  and Georgian Churches, the president of Abkhazia expressed unambiguous assessment, at least,  as before it was  said and written that he supported the ideas of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia. Did he change his mind in supporting you? What is the reason of  he speaks about at the forum, what do you think?

Our government has always said that it distances itself from church and of the so-called split in Abkhazia. The President Ankvab did not coordinate this trip to Sochi with the clergy of Abkhazia, as well as with the father Vissarion’s side from Sukhum - Pitsunda diocese, and the representatives of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia either.

But for us it's not new what Alexander Ankvab heard at a meeting on March 28 in Sochi. At this meeting, we are more than confident, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) said about the only way of pastoral care of the Abkhaz Orthodox community, which is the mechanism of double ecclesiastical jurisdiction on the territory of Abkhazia. The Russian Orthodox Church recognizes Abkhazian church still the part of the Georgian church. This means that in agreement with the Georgian Church, the Moscow Patriarchate will ordain someone to the episcopacy and send him to Abkhazia. Such a policy between the ROC and GOC in this matter is clear, otherwise, Metropolitan Seraphim (Jojua) as the official face of the GOC would not attend this meeting.
 In the proposal  of the Russian Orthodox Church  the status of the Abkhaz Church as independent from the Georgian is not considered, so that is why the  president Ankvab said that the relations of Abkhazia with the  Georgian clergy could no longer continue.

REGNUM: Father David, you for sure know about the  Ilia II's visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Following this meeting, the Georgian Patriarch said that he planned to visit Abkhazia. Do you think  such a visit is possible?

Absolutely impossible. Georgian Patriarch is acting like a politician, only in the interests of Georgia. For example, during the recent inter-ethnic conflict, the Georgian Patriarch said   not a word to stop the bloodshed and  the war. In 2008, when Georgian troops shot civilians and Russian peacekeepers in Tskhinval, Patriarch Ilia did not say anything to stop this inhuman perfidy. And when Russia stood up in defense of South Ossetia, he immediately turned to then - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to stop military operations against Georgia. But why he did not make such statements to his people and the Government of Georgia, the whole day when the shelling of Tskhinval took place? So, when there is no war, they say we are their brothers, and when the war begins, the Georgian Church declares the restoration of Georgia's borders. That is why, whatever the Georgian Patriarch said, referring to the Russian Orthodox Church or the Ecumenical Patriarch - it is his personal opinion and  it does not concern Abkhazia.
I also believe that the trip of the Georgian Patriarch to Constantinople had an aim to block the Abkhaz Orthodox people’s  opportunity to discuss the future of their own  Church themselves.

 This article was published by REGNUM and is translated from Russian.

 http://www.regnum.ru/news/fd-abroad/polit/1667693.html#ixzz2VLl9aYwH

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