Tag Archives: religion

Georgian Patriarch Ilia II: The tireless go-between

NOV. 25 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Patriarch Ilia II, head of Georgia’s Orthodox Church, has been in Moscow all week, officially to celebrate the 70th birthday of his Russian counterpart, Kirill.

This will, no doubt, form part of his trip, as will various lengthy, ornate and beautiful cathedral and church services. But another, important, side of the trip will be the semi-official diplomacy that he pursues.

This has been a vital channel for conversations between Russia and Georgia since strained relations broke down altogether in August 2008 and triggered a war that lasted for five days. It was on a trip to Moscow four months later that Patriarch Ilia started the ball rolling for the lengthy rapprochement that is continuing today.

And Patriarch Ilia’s natural ease with Russia and his Russophile outlook go back to his upbringing. He was born Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili to Georgian parents in the Russian town of Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia. He completed his theologian studies in Moscow before returning to Georgia and making his way up the ranks of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Ilia was promoted to Patriarch in 1977, reportedly against the wishes of the Communist party who suspected that he had nationalist tendencies, after the death of David V. It was during these last 12 years of Soviet rule that Patriarch Ilia really established himself in the eyes of his countryman as a true patriot. He built up the prestige and influence of the Georgian Orthodox Church and also, towards the end of the Soviet rule, supported independence marches.

Now aged 83, Patriarch Ilia is able to play the elder statesman of Georgian politics and society. Georgia’s politics is a fractious, personal affair but most Georgians regard Patriarch Ilia to stand head and shoulders above the rest. He has been dubbed the most trusted man in Georgia.

And he still weighs into conflicts, soothing rows and acting as a negotiator. During the final antagonistic days of Mikheil Saakshviliv’s presidency, Patriarch Ilia was called on more than one occasion to negotiate between the government and protesters.

A deeply conservative man, his anti-abortion, anti- gay rights views hold enormous sway over public opinion in Georgia. The new government has
already started to change the constitution to enshrine marriage as an act only between a man and a woman.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 306, published on Nov. 25 2016)

Georgia-Russia mend ties via the Orthodox Church

NOV. 25 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church Patriarch Ilia II flew to Moscow for a week of meetings with senior members of the Russian Orthodox Church, hooked around the 70th birthday of its leader Patriarch Kirill (Nov. 20).

Visits by Patriarch Ilia to Moscow are important because they act as an unofficial diplomatic channel between Moscow and Tbilisi. At times, such as immediately after a war between the two side in August 2008, this channel has been vital and the only way the two sides were able to communicate.

On his arrival in Moscow, Patriarch Ilia appeared to recognise the importance of these meetings.

“Georgian and the Russian Orthodox Churches have great importance for our countries and people. The relationship between us ought to be better than it is now, and we should do everything to improve the relationship between the political figures of our countries. I think we can do this. We need each other and we should help each other,” he was quoted by media as saying.

He plays an important role in domestic Georgian politics, often intervening to mediate in disputes or set the tone in national debates.

Patriarch Ilia is the highest ranking public figure from Georgia to have travelled to Moscow since the 2008 war. On a trip in 2013, he also met with Russian president Vladimir Putin. It is unclear whether he will meet Mr Putin on this trip, which is dominated by meetings with various Russian Orthodox officials.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 306, published on Nov. 25 2016)

Georgian Orthodox Church head to visit Moscow

NOV. 7 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church Patriarch Ilia II will visit Moscow from Nov. 18 until Nov. 25 to, officially, celebrate the 70th birthday of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, media reported. Ilia II is an important figure in Georgian politics and is often used to as a conduit with Russia. In the immediate aftermath of a war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008, Ilia II was able to travel to Moscow to start talks on repairing relations. He usually meets Vladimir Putin, now Russia’s president, when he visits Moscow. His trip later this month will be his fifth since the Georgia- Russia war.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 304, published on Nov. 11 2016)

Georgia’s Orthodox Church

OCT. 7 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – >> I read earlier in the Bulletin that the Pope flew over to Tbilisi but wasn’t warmly received. This surprised me as I thought the Pope was generally greeted by massive grounds wherever he went.

>> You’re right. Georgians gave Pope Francis a luke- warm welcome. Staff at the Vatican had probably been expecting a far more friendly touch down but then Georgia has a complicated relationship with the Catholic Church.

>> So what actually happened in Georgia?

>> Essentially, although the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, greeted Pope Francis, he was made to feel unwelcome. Many Orthodox priests told their congregations to stay away from his Papal mass on the Saturday and a hardcore group of Orthodox believers followed him around shouting various slogans against the Catholic Church.

>> Right, the sound fairly active? Outside the Pope’s visit, is the Orthodox Church influential in Georgia?

>> Yes, very. Around 80% of Georgians identify themselves as Orthodox. The Patriarch, Ilia II, is one of the most powerful men in the country and is often turned to in times of crisis. He has brokered deals between rival political leaders. Presidents and prime ministers are careful to be seen attending church and meeting with the Patriarch. He is also a staunch conservative, holding views that represent those of many in Georgia.

The Georgian Orthodox is anti-gay rights and same sex marriage, for example. There are often Orthodox priests leading anti-gay rights marches.

And the Georgian Orthodox Church an incredibly influential body. Public opinion surveys consistently rank it as the most trusted public body in Georgia.

>> I see. But is the Orthodox Church involved any way in Georgia’s foreign policy?

>> Not officially. Georgia’s constitution states that the Orthodox Church is fully independent of the state. That said it has played a major role on occasion. After Georgia and Russia fought a brief war in 2008 over the disputed region of South Ossetia, it was the Patriarch who was able to reach out to the Russian side and begin to mend relations. He was in Moscow towards the end of 2008 to see the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexey II, for the last time. While he was there he also met up with Dmitri Medvedev, then Russia’s president. This was considered a vital first step towards pulling Georgia and Russia together.

>> So, Ilia II is definitely a bit of an all-rounded then. He seems to play a major role in domestic affairs, influencing public opinion, and also happy to deal in high level diplomacy in international affairs.

>> He’s certainly a major factor in modern Georgia. Watch out for his reaction to any issues before or after the parliamentary election in Georgia on Oct. 8.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)

Pope faces hostility on trip to Georgia

TBILISI, OCT. 2 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Pope Francis endured a diplomatically tough trip to Tbilisi and Baku, his second to the South Caucasus this year.

In Tbilisi, hostile Orthodox Christian followers tried to unsettle the Pope by heckling him and waving banners with anti-Catholic slogans outside each of his various meetings.

“The Vatican is a spiritual aggressor” and “Pope, arch-heretic, you are not welcome in Orthodox Georgia,” their posters read according to media reports.

The Orthodox Church, suspicious that the Pope’s real reason for making the visit was not to improve relations but to recruit followers, also called for a boycott of a Papal mass planned for a football stadium.

“As long as there are dogmatic differences between our churches, Orthodox believers will not participate in their prayers,” the Georgian Orthodox Church said on its website.

Only a few thousand people turned up to the mass, leaving the stadium looking empty.

Earlier the Pope had met with both the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II and President Giorgi Margvelashvili.

The Pope then visited Azerbaijan, a country with a tiny Catholic community, where he held talks with President Ilham Aliyev aimed at improving diplomatic relations.

Pope Francis said that in both Yerevan, which he visited earlier this year, and Baku he had urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold peace talks.

“Armenia is a nation with open borders, it has problems with Azerbaijan and should go to an international tribunal if dialogue and negotiation is a no-go,” he was quoted as telling media.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are officially at war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh which is controlled by Armenia-backed forces.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)

People in Kyrgyz city burn posters

JULY 25 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — People in Batken, south-western Kyrgyzstan, burned a government poster aimed at countering the growth of radical Islam which showed Kyrgyz women in traditional clothes transitioning into women wearing a full, black burqa. Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev unveiled the poster this month as part of the fight against a recruitment drive in Central Asia by the radical IS group. The poster has proved controversial in Kyrgyzstan because of accusations that it is stigmatising conservative Muslims.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 291, published on Aug. 1 2016)

Islamic banking grows in Kazakhstan

JULY 18 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Zaman Bank, a small bank in Kazakhstan, said it had converted into an Islamic financial institution. Kazakhstan’s Central Bank signed off on the deal. With assets of 15.7b tenge ($46.5m), Zaman has a small presence in the Kazakh banking market and only one branch, in Almaty. Zaman will now join Bank Al-Hilal the more prominent Islamic lender in the country. Islamic banking, which promotes lending with an Islamic ethos, is becoming more popular in Central Asia’s finance sector.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 290, published on July 22 2016)

Prices to do the Hajj from Tajikistan soar

DUSHANBE, JUNE 3 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Pious Tajiks complain that doing the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, has become prohibitively difficult because of a sharp rise in inflation, a reduction in the amount of remittances flowing into the country from Russia and an increase in surveillance by the security forces.

A Bulletin correspondent spoke to several people in Tajikistan who have cancelled plans to make the pilgrimage.

Abbos, a taxi driver, sucked in a deep breath. He squinted and exhaled with a sigh. In his late 40s, Abbos has been planning to do the Hajj this year but has had to cancel his plans.

“It is my dream to do the Hajj, but I do not have enough money this year,” he said as he left a central Dushanbe mosque. “The Hajj price tag has gone up while I have been earning less this year.”

According to Tajikistan’s Committee on Religious Affairs, the price of going to Mecca — including flights, accommodation and living expenses — is now around 28,649 somoni (roughly $3,500). This is nearly 20% more expensive than last year.

Like the rest of the region, Tajikistan has been dealing with an economic fallout linked to a recession in Russia. All important remittance flows have dropped by around 45% while the value of the somoni currency has fallen and inflation has risen. And there is also the surveillance. The Tajik government has grown increasingly wary of pious Tajiks. Last year it banned the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, imposed various restrictions on people who frequent mosques and set a minimum age requirement of 40 for men who want to go on the Hajj.

So, for some, the route to Mecca lies elsewhere. Isroil, a 35-year-old man has a game plan. “I want to go from Russia as it is cheaper and has no age limits,” he said. “I’m not able to wait five more years because it is becoming more expensive in Tajikistan.”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 283, published on June 3 2016)

Turkmen president performs Hajj

MAY 5 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov completed a visit to Saudi Arabia, where he performed the Hajj to Medina and Mecca. In Saudi Arabia, Mr Berdymukhamedov spoke to the head of Islamic Development Bank, Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani, about potential investments in Turkmenistan’s infrastructure projects.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 279, published on May 6 2016)

Tajikistan tightens security at mosques

MARCH 28 2016, DUSHANBE (The Conway Bulletin) — The Tajik authorities ordered mosques in Dushanbe to improve security by installing CCTV and metal detectors, a move that sceptics said was actually aimed at clamping down on pious Muslims who officials view with increasing unease.

Mahmadsaid Ubaydulloev, Dushanbe city mayor, said the extra surveillance was needed to ensure public safety in the city and that mosques would have to buy the kit with cash from their own budgets.

This is a continuation of a policy of tightening security around mosques in Tajikistan.

A month ago, Tajik authorities ordered mosques to police their prayers for extremists. The government is increasingly worried about radicals infiltrating mosques and either recruiting young men to join the extremist IS group in Syria or inciting revolution. Last year, the government banned the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan and arrested its leaders and activists in what free speech advocates have described as clamp down on human rights.

And pious Muslims in Tajikistan have complained of increased harassment too, including being forced to shave long beards. They told The Conway Bulletin’s Dushanbe correspondent that the latest move to install extra security is merely aimed at making life even more difficult.

Umedjon, a 36-years old salesman, said that he does not feel free to pray. “Instead of focusing on praying, I have to think about how I am praying in order not to get in trouble with the authorities. If they install metal detectors and cameras, the mosque will become a constrained place for praying,” he said as he left one of central Dushanbe’s mosques.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 274, published on April 1 2016)