About Civil.ge
Eng | Geo | Rus
Last updated: 10:55 - 1 May.'18
RSS
Mobile
Twitter
Facebook
Georgian Church Slams Law on Religious Groups' Legal Status
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 6 Jul.'11 / 10:31

A legislative amendment allowing religious minority groups to be registered as legal entities of public law “contravenes interests of both the Church and the country,” the Georgian Orthodox Church said in a statement late on July 5.

“We believe, that this law will bring negative consequences in the nearest future and the authorities will be responsible for this,” the statement reads.

Parliament passed the draft amendment to the civil code with its second and third, final reading on July 5 amid calls from the Georgian Church and opposition parties not to hurry with approval of the proposal in order to give more time to public discussions. Another key argument of the Georgian Church was that such law should be passed only in parallel to granting to the Georgian Orthodox Church the same legal status in Georgia’s other neighboring countries – the focus in this particular case was done on Armenia.

In between the parliamentary votes on the issue on July 5, a senior ruling party lawmaker Pavle Kublashvili held talks with senior clerics from the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The Georgian Church said in the statement late n July 5, that talks were held upon the initiative of the ruling party, which proposed amended version of the draft. The draft, however, still contained a provision allowing religious minority groups to be registered as legal entities of public law, the Patriarchate said.

“The Patriarchate was still pushing for a proposal to suspend approval of the legislative amendment, to hold public debates and to reach a public consensus on the issue. Then [the Patriarchate] has offered a compromise option taking into account international experience,” the statement reads.

“It was not possible to reach an agreement, which is very regrettable, because already passed law contravenes interests of both the Church and the country,” the Patriarchate said.

Latest News
01 May.'18 10:55
We Have Moved to a New Platform
Direct Your Bookmarks to https://civil.ge.
29 Apr.'18 03:54
Ruling Party Candidate Wins MP By-Elections
Givi Chichinadze will represent Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency in the Parliament of Georgia.
28 Apr.'18 09:40
Polls Open for Vani and Khoni MP By-Elections
48,123 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency.
27 Apr.'18 17:23
State Dept’s Europe Affairs Point Man to Visit Tbilisi
Wess Mitchell will meet senior government officials and address the NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum.
27 Apr.'18 13:45
In Quotes: Georgian Politicians on Ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Comeback
Bidzina Ivanishvili will be approved as the Georgian Dream party chairman at the upcoming convention.
26 Apr.'18 18:15
SG Jens Stoltenberg: Georgia NATO’s ‘Very Close’ Partner
The NATO Secretary General says Foreign Ministers meeting tomorrow will recognize the country’s progress.
26 Apr.'18 14:24
Ex-PM Ivanishvili to Chair Georgian Dream Party
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said Ivanishvili was ‘best equipped’ to add new dynamism to the party.
26 Apr.'18 11:12
Lawmaker Proposes Criminal Liability for ‘Insult of Religious Feelings’
The parliamentary human rights committee decided to set up a working group for scrutinizing the draft law.
25 Apr.'18 17:21
New Abkhaz Government Head Appointed
Gennady Gagulia has served as the Abkhaz “prime minister” twice - in 1995-1997, and 2002-2003.
25 Apr.'18 14:43
Watchdog Improves Georgia’s Press Freedom Ranking
None of the countries of the former Soviet Union (except the Baltics) are ranked ahead of Georgia.

About Civil Georgia
Civil.Ge © 2001-2025, Daily News Online
Registered office: 2 Dolidze Str, 4-th Floor.
24