Criticism of the economic privileges of the Georgian orthodox church in the discourse of liberalization of state-confessional relations in Georgia
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to analyze the criticism of the economic privileges of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the discourse of liberalization of state-confessional relations in Georgia. The chronological framework of the study covers the period since 2011, after the Georgia amendments to the Civil Code. The article is divided into three substantive parts. The first part provides an overview of the criticism of the economic privileges of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the discourse of liberalization of state-confessional relations in Georgia by religious associations, the second part systematizes the critical positions of human rights organizations, and the third part provides a comparative analysis of the critical positions of religious associations and human rights organizations. The claims of religious associations to the Constitutional Court of Georgia criticize not only the narrowness of the list of religious organizations affected by the USSR and the system of their financing, but also state support and distribution of property in favor of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The reports of human rights organizations criticize: subsidiary and legislatively unregulated financial support for the Georgian Orthodox Church for the sake of its loyalty to the state authorities, the lack of calculation of damage during the Soviet period, property restitution discriminating against other religious organizations. Both subjects of the discourse of liberalization of stateconfessional relations in Georgia are united in criticizing tax preferences and the monopoly on obtaining state property of the Georgian Orthodox Church, as well as the opaque and nonsecular nature of financing its individual dioceses In general, religious associations and human rights organizations strengthen each other's influence in the discourse of liberalization of state-confessional relations in Georgia. The ultimate goal of the subjects of the liberalization discourse is the cancelation of the Constitutional Agreement with the Georgian Orthodox Church. The main contradiction in the dynamics of state-confessional relations in Georgia is the coexistence of trends towards liberalization and the preservation of the country's religious and cultural identity, which is conceptually described as a contradiction between the trends of secularism and secularity. The preservation of the pro-Western choice in the country's foreign policy determines the continuation of criticism of the economic privileges of the Georgian Orthodox Church within the framework of the discourse of liberalization of state-confessional relations in Georgia.
Downloads
Metrics
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Конституция Грузии // Ведомости Парламента Грузии. 1995. № 31-33. Ст. 668.
Маркедонов С. Грузия: спор между государством и церковью, 15.07.2011 // ПОЛИТ-КОМ. RU: информационный сайт политических комментариев. URL: https://politcom. ru/12258.html (дата обращения: 10.02.2024).
Скурат К. Е. История Поместных Православных Церквей : в 2 т. М. : Русские огни: АНС, 1994. Т. 1. 336 с.
Таркхинишвили Л. Грузия: на пути к демократии? Варшава: CASE — Центр социально-экономических исследований, 1997. 55 с.
Яровой А., Яровая И. М. Грузинский конкордат и система конкордатного права // Труды Белгородской православной духовной семинарии (с миссионерской направленностью). 2016. № 4. С. 121-126.
2021 Report on International Religious Freedom // Washington: U. S. Departament of State, 2021. URL: https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/ (дата обращения: 08.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).
Constitutional Court admitted the claim of religious organizations on the import tax regulations, June 2021 // Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI). URL: https://www.tdi. ge/en/news/952-constitutional-court-admitted-claim-religious-organizations-import-tax-regulations (дата обращения: 15.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).
Constitutional Court granted two complaints of religious organizations // Tolerance and Diversity Institute. URL: https://tdi. ge/en/news/602-constitutional-court-granted-two-complaints-religious-organizations (дата обращения: 15.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).
Constitutional Law of Georgia No 1689 of 10 October 2002. LHG I. No 28. 28.10.2002. Art. 128 (на англ. яз.).
Gegenava D. State funding of religious organizations // Studia z Prawa Wyznaniowego. 2019. No 22. P. 119-134. DOI: 10.31743/spw. 5478 (на англ. яз.).
Godoladze K. Constitutional theocracy in context: the paradigm of Georgia // Humanities and Social Sciences Review. 2015. Vol. 4. No 2. P. 95-214 (на англ. яз.).
Durham C. W. (Jr.) Religious Freedom in a Worldwide Setting: Comparative Reflections // Pontificia Accademia delle scienze sociali: 17th Plenary Session. Vatican City, 2011. P. 359389 (на англ. яз.).
Freedom of religion: critique of discriminatory and nonsecular state policy / ed. by T. Mikeladze. Tbilisi: Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center, 2016. 134 p. (на англ. яз.).
Freedom of religion and belief in Georgia: 2022 report / contr.: M. Gavtadze, S. Elizbarashvili, M. Tsetskhladze, M. Mindiashvili. Tbilisi: The Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI), 2023. 36 p. URL: https://www.tdi.ge/sites/default/files/tdi_forb_report_2022_eng.pdf (дата обращения: 12.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).
Jones S. F. Soviet Religious Policy and the Georgian Orthodox Apostolic Church: From Khrushchev to Gorbachev // Religion, State and Society: The Keston Journal. 1989. Vol. 17. No. 4. P. 292-312 (на англ. яз.).
Noniashvili G. Restitution policy in Georgia. Tbilisi: The Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI), 2023. 44 p. URL: https://tdi. ge/sites/default/files/restitution_policy_in_georgia.pdf (дата обращения: 15.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).
Religious minorities in Georgia apply to the Constitutional Court // Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI). URL: https://www.tdi.ge/en/news/352-religious-minorities-georgia-apply-constitutional-court (дата обращения: 15.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).
Statement on the Constitutional Claim of Religious Organizations, October 2015 // Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI). URL: https://www.tdi.ge/en/statement/statement-constitutional-claim-religious-organizations (дата обращения: 15.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).
Two constitutional claims of religious organizations in the Venice commission's bulletin // Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI). URL: https://www.tdi.ge/en/news/702-two-constitutional-claims-religious-organizations-venice-commissions-bulletin (дата обращения: 15.02.2024) (на англ. яз.).