Anri Dzheregnia, United Abkhazia
Recently the newspaper United Abkhazia published an article by the former premier of the republic Anri Dzheregnia who expressed his view on the developments over the Abkhazian Orthodox Church. Vestnik Kavkaza publishes a short variant of the article.
The more we go away from our recent past – the period of struggle for Abkhazia’s independence – the more often the question is raised: should we make people shed blood, if the developments in our country can bring us back to the previous situation, to turning us into dependent minority deprived of rights? On the surface everything is fine. We have an independent state recognized by Great Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and other states. But it doesn’t mean that the problem of our independence is settled completely.
The state can be sure of firmness of its status, when it is economically and politically independent and develops in the direction, and when the demographic situation of titular nation has no threats. Unfortunately, we cannot say that at least one of these directions is being implemented in our country.
The essence of the economic strategy of the current authorities is about predictions whether Russia will provide the promised financial support or not, and how it can be used. As for demography, the authorities, whether intentionally or not, provide the policy of reduction of our nation. It is connected with the illegal giving of passports to returned refugees and the uncontrolled inflow of labor migrants. While the development of economy is impossible without reasonable and mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia, the demographic problem can be settled by our authorities.
As for the struggle for autocephaly of the Abkhazian church, it doesn’t matter what attractive ideas decorate it, its basis is the fight between the old and the young generations of Abkhazian clerics. It seems that the most important thing for young religious activists is possession and usage of the most profitable facility of the Abkhazian Church – New Athos Monastery and its budget. They are ready to make any step to achieve their goal – even to clash with the church and commit offences.
In April 2009 they sent a request to Patriarch of Moscow and all-Russia Kirill. The letter said that the Abkhazian eparchy intended to shift to the Russian Orthodox Church, and it contained no hints to autocephaly church in Abkhazia. However, this part of the request was written to hide their true intention. The true intention is a request to subordinate New Athos Monastery to the Russian Orthodox Church separately from the Abkhazian eparchy. The letter was signed by father Dorotheus, father Pallady, priest Dolmat Gopia, Matthew Tuzhba, and Nikita Adlejba. Later Gopia, Adlejba and Tuzhba denied their signatures. They realized that the letter was needed to father Andrey and father Dorotheus to become bishops. The letter was written secretly without informing the Abkhazian Church and its head father Vissarion (Aplia). This was the first attempt to clash with the Abkhazian Church.
I don’t know how it looks from the point of view of the church, but from a legal point of view it is a proposal to dispose the property of the Abkhazian eparchy. Such deeds contain an element of crime. The Abkhazian eparchy is a juridical entity; and the point is illegal assignment of assets.
When Dorotheus received no desirable answer, he and father Andrey initiated a bigger adventure. They captured the New Athos Monastery and stopped letting in clerics of the Abkhazian eparchy. It seems the idea of autocephaly of the Abkhazian church appeared at that time. The idea was doomed to be successful among Abkhazians. In May 2011 father Dorotheus, father Andrey and father David held a session in New Athos Monastery. It was decided to establish the Sacred Metropolis of Abkhazia (SMA). The decision was a begging of a clash in the Abkhazian Church.
The initiators of the clash explained their behavior that the Abkhazian eparchy didn’t want to fight for autocephaly of our church. It is difficult to say whether the mentioned clerics decided to call for autocephaly themselves or it was done on the suggestion of the Constantinople and Greek Orthodox Churches.
Some acts by the Constantinople and Greek Orthodox Churches can be considered as indirect support of schismatic behavior of father Dorotheus, father Andrey and father David. Probably Patriarch Bartholomew started a double game. On the one hand, he accepts Abkhazian separatists and negotiates with them.
Father Dorotheus and his supporters try to present the talks as a support from Patriarch of Constantinople Orthodox Church in striving for autocephaly. At the same time, the mass media reported that Patriarch Bartholomew recognized the Abkhazian Church as a canonic part of the Georgian Church.
Despite the fact, father Dorotheus constantly visits Constantinople and Greece; after the trips rumors are usually spread that soon the decision on autocephaly of the Abkhazian church will be made. Two years have passed, and no decisions have been made. It seems father Dorotheus and his supporters had no certain agreements.
The problem of providing a church with autocephaly can be settled only by the agreement of all Orthodox churches. Of course, father Dorotheus, father Andrey and father David know it very well. That is why they constantly state about various ways to solve the problem.
That is how the idea on a request to Patriarch Bartholomew from the Abkhazian parliament on providing autocephaly was born. 25 MPs signed the request. What is the result of the act, nobody knows. They then initiated a public opinion poll in Abkhazia in favor of autocephaly. It should be noted that the poll has a directly anti-Russian character. The text of it says that the Georgian and the Russian Churches are against our autocephaly. However, there are no grounds for thinking that other churches will support Ankhazian autocephaly.
But there is one idea left in consciousness of Abkhazian citizens that the Russian Orthodox Church is against independence of our church. Despite public statements of the initiators of the poll, their goal was to split AOC and ROC, Russia and Abkhazia.
The church problem turned into a “Trojan Horse” in Abkhazia. While residents of Abkhazia don’t understand this, the threat to our statehood remains. Couldn’t the Abkhazian authorities understand this? Probably the authorities support the church war to distract attention from the main functions of the state.
