სახელმწიფოს და ეკლესიის ურთიერთობათა ტრანსფორმაცია საქართველოში საუკუნის მანძილზე

Abstract

The struggle for autocephaly was a political issue for Georgian political groups in the early 20th century, and it was closely linked to the struggle for Georgian political rights (autonomy, independence). After the fall of the Russian Empire, the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was restored on March 12, 1917, which preceded the declaration of independence of Georgia on May 26, 1918. The policy of the government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia was aimed at separating the secular and religious spheres. Paragraph 5 of the Declaration of Independence of Georgia of May 26, 1918 emphasized the full equality of citizens of all faiths. The sharp separation of the religious and secular spheres took place first of all in the field of education, which was defined by Article 110 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia: “Education is secular in schools of all levels.” On November 26, 1918, the Parliament-National Council of Georgia adopted a law on the abolition of the teaching of divine law in schools. Cultural monuments were the subject of mutual care under the legislation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. The restoration-renovation of the monasteries under the Church was carried out at the request of the Patriarchate before the Arts Commission of the Constituent Assembly or the Ministry of Education and at the expense of the state. The separation issue was reflected in the calendar, where there were many church holidays. As a result of the joint work of the Parliamentary Labor and Religion Committees, ecclesiastical and civil holidays were established, which included all the sacred and important Christian holidays. By a decree of the Parliament of Georgia of November 19, 1920, all religious organizations, including the Georgian Orthodox Church, were removed from state life, leaving only the religious needs of believers to be met. It was forbidden to provide funds from the state treasury for religious purposes. The most important aspect of the separation of church and state was the Civil Registry Act of December 3, 1920, which forbade clergy to conduct religious rites of birth, marriage, or death without a state registration document. The issue of the state’s relationship with the church was finally established by the Constitution adopted on February 21, 1921, which in Chapter 16 – “State and Church” defined the independence of the state and the church (Article 142). Equality of all religions was declared (Article 143) and the spending of budget funds for religious affairs was prohibited (Article 144). The process of separating the secular and religious spheres in the atheistic Soviet Union is a form of state domination over the church. The result was harassment of the church and the clergy, total control. In Georgia, along with political issues, the struggle for church rights played an important role in the anti-Soviet dissident movement. Since the restoration of Georgia’s independence in 1991, the role of the Church in political life has been gradually increasing, culminating in the “Concordat” in 2002, which defined the relationship between the government and the Church.