CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Saralishvili, Nana |
|---|---|
| Title | Joining and Leaving the International Ecumenical Movement - A Story of the Georgian Orthodox Church |
| Summary | The Georgian Orthodox Church, to this day, is one of the most trusted institutions in Georgia, and its patriarch - the most trusted figure in the country. Decisions made by an institution with such influence affect not only the church itself but the Georgian society. The GOC was a member of the WCC for more than 30 years. Leaving the international ecumenical movement was coupled with anti-ecumenical rhetoric, aggression toward other Christian congregations, and increasing ethnoreligious nationalism. The thesis argues that for the GOC, becoming a member of the WCC was a step coordinated and closely controlled by the Soviet authorities but the membership in the WCC also provided the GOC with international connections and access to resources to aid the weakened institution and a chance to end the church’s isolation. The relationship between the state leaders and the GOC. In the 1990s, the GOC became a primary legitimizing tool for political leaders in a context where personalities gained public support, not political ideas or programs. the context of independent Georgia, in combination with local anti-ecumenical sentiments both from the hierarchs of the GOC and the anti-ecumenical groups, increasing ethnoreligious notions of nationalism, led to the decision to leave the WCC. |
| Supervisor | Rieddl, Matthias; |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/saralishvili_nana.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University