Church groups back Russian, Georgian Orthodox peace appeals

Sophia Kishkovsky
New York (ENI). The patriarchs of the Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches have issued calls for peace as military conflict between Russia and Georgia over the pro-Russian separatist enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia escalated into the first war between countries with Orthodox Christian majorities in modern history.

"Today blood is being shed and people are perishing in South Ossetia, and my heart deeply grieves over it. Orthodox Christians are among those who have raised their hands against each other. Orthodox peoples called by the Lord to live in fraternity and love are in conflict," Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II said in a statement on patriarchia.ru, his official Web site.

The Georgian authorities were reported as saying on 12 August that Russian troops were continuing to attack the town of Gori, although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier in the day said he had ordered troops to stop military operations in Georgia. Russia has denied attacking the town and has denied any incursions outside the disputed region of South Ossetia.

The Web site of the Georgian Orthodox Church, patriarchate.ge, reports that in a sermon on 10 August, Patriarch Ilia II called for prayers to end the conflict.

Backing for the patriarchs' appeals came from two international church groupings that said the United Nations must "ensure the territorial integrity and political independence of Georgia".

In a 12 August joint statement, the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches warned, "The use of force in the dispute over South Ossetia and Abkhazia has cost the precious lives of civilians and soldiers, risks destabilising a fragile region, and reawakens deep fears there and far beyond."

In his statement, Patriarch Alexei called for negotiations that would "respect the traditions, views and hopes of the Georgian and Ossetian peoples", and said that the Russian Orthodox Church was ready to work with the Georgian Orthodox Church in a peace effort.

Georgian Patriarch Ilia said in his sermon, ''God is with us and the Virgin Mary is protecting us but one thing concerns us very deeply: that Orthodox Russians are bombing Orthodox Georgians," He added, "Reinforce your prayer and God will save Georgia."

Ilia had earlier called on the Georgian and South Ossetian authorities, "to spare no effort to cease fire and solve disputes peacefully."

On 9 August, Russian nationalist youth groups, led by the Georgiyevtsy, a Russian Orthodox youth movement, held a prayer meeting in front of the Moscow offices of the European Union.

"We believe Saakashvili betrays Orthodoxy when he sets Orthodox peoples against one another," Diana Romanovskaya, press secretary of the Georgiyevtsy, told the Interfax-Religion news service in a reference to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgia became Orthodox in the fourth century, more than 600 years before the baptism of Rus in the Dnieper river in Kiev in 988, which Russians mark as the creation of their church.

Russia annexed Georgia, which was seeking protection from Persia, in 1801, and abolished the Georgian Patriarchate. It was reinstated after the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. Relations between the Russian and Georgian churches in recent years have been amicable.

The Web sites of both the Russian and Georgian churches report that before the fighting began, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent congratulations to Patriarch Ilia on his name day on 2 August.

"We appreciate your efforts in strengthening civil peace and harmony in the region among the nations and religions," read the message. "Common Orthodox traditions have been the greater factors of unity for Russian and Georgian nations for many centuries. Please accept my gratitude for your unchangeable kind attitude towards Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. We are certain that common spiritual roots, plus friendly and good neighbouring traditions will help us to overcome all existing difficulties between our countries."

:: Sophia Kishkovsky is a correspondent for ENI, based in Moscow. She wrote this story from New York.

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