In recent months, various representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate have spoken about how Constantinople has granted all 19th and 20th century autocephalies, including among them the Church of Georgia. In the case of that church, however, things are much more complicated, as Georgia’s autocephaly was originally granted at a very early point by Antioch, a fact recognized in the medieval canonical literature. While the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was suppressed by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1811– an action that could hardly be considered legitimate– it was reasserted in 1917 and recognized by Moscow in 1943. Recognition from Constantinople was a more difficult process, as the Georgian Church’s history poses obvious problems for the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s claims to have the exclusive right to grant autocephaly.
As Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia explained in a speech in 2010 (part I and part II), the process of obtaining Constantinople’s recognition of Georgia’s autocephaly began with Georgia’s participation at the pan-Orthodox conference on Rhodes in 1963, where Georgia’s representatives were frustrated by being treated by Constantinople as an autonomous church under Russia. When, as the Soviet Union was coming to an end, Patriarch Demetrios of Constantinople agreed to talks with Georgia regarding autocephaly, the issue of whether Constantinople was granting it or merely recognizing an existing reality became a sticking point until Constantinople suddenly relented and accepted Georgia’s position.
As can be seen from the two tomoi, translated below, the final text is very careful to state that Constantinople is only granting its “recognition” and “official approbation” of Georgia’s autocephaly and patriarchal status that exist ab antiquo. It is nevertheless noteworthy that this recognition is made conditional on approval by an ecumenical council, while it recognizes the Georgian Church’s custom of consecrating its own chrism and only “recommends” that important canonical questions be brought to Constantinople.
Patriarchal and Synodal Tomos concerning the Recognition and Official Approbation of the Autocephaly of the Very Holy Church of Georgia
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
“But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 3:15-16), Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, tells us. But if the Church of God on earth constitutes—and is called– one sole flock and one sole body of Christ on account of her spiritual unity, this has not prevented her from forming, in different places and countries, over the course of the early centuries but also subsequently, Churches independent of each other and, with regard to their internal affairs, governed by themselves under their own shepherds, teachers and servants of the Gospel and thus constituting, in their ensemble, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
It is also the case of the Holy Orthodox Church situated in the blessed land of the Caucasus—included today within the borders of the Republic of Georgia—endowed since ancient times with a system of self-government free from outside intervention and enjoying a corresponding ecclesiastical organization, having born- and continuing to bear—in the general affairs of the Church a rich and praiseworthy witness, and preserving the revealed truth and teaching of our Orthodox Church without without compromising or damaging its integrity. This Church desires today to enjoy canonicity in the management of her own affairs and to participate, along with all the holy Orthodox Churches, in the same bond of brotherly service. Thus she has addressed herself on several occasions to our very holy Ecumenical, Apostolic and Patriarchal See, asking her to bless and officially approve her constitution of self-government, so that in this way she may be an inseparable part, like the branch of the divine grapevine, of the canonical group of local Orthodox Churches, thus continuing to contribute to the building up and growth of the body of Christ.
It is to this praiseworthy appeal and request that the Holy Synod surrounding us has responded with tender solicitude, making use of the canonical right and obligation belonging to our very holy Ecumenical See: to take care of the holy Orthodox Churches that find themselves in a state of need and to guide them—taking them by the hand according to the needs of their life in time—to autocephalous governance, those among the ecclesiastical administrations which, in the context of the current situation of Orthodoxy, have been worthy of claiming this dignity. We have thus decided, our humble person along with the very holy and very honorable metropolitans around us, brothers and dear concelebrants in the Holy Spirit, to accept with benevolence the appeal made by our sister the holy Orthodox Church of Georgia to the very holy Church of Constantinople, first see in the ecclesiastical order, and to grant our blessing, recognition and official approbation of the autocephaly and the independent organization of this Church, subject to the definitive decision of the future holy Ecumenical Council, which alone assures eternally and without prejudice for all unity in the faith and canonical ecclesiastical order of our holy Orthodox Church.
Consequently, we declare Synodally in the Holy Spirit and proclaim the very holy Church of Georgia to belong as before—and to be considered as such—to the group of sister autocephalous Orthodox Churches, under her ancient constitution and organization of self-government; a constitution of organization also attested to by Balsamon, who writes, “(…) for they say that in the time of the very holy patriarch Peter of Antioch, the great City of God, a synodal settlement took place according to which the Church of Iberia would be free and autocephalous (…)” (Cf. Rhallis-Potlis, Syntagma ton theion kai ieron Kanonon, Athens 1852, vol. II, p. 172). In doing this, we assure her that, under the name of “holy autocephalous Church of all Georgia”, she will be known as our spiritual sister and that she will be able to govern and manage her own affairs in independence and autocephaly, according to the canonical order and rights in force among the other holy autocephalous Orthodox Churches, having as Leader and Head our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, recognizing and honoring as first in the canonical and ecclesiastical order our Ecumenical See and only knowing as her supreme ecclesiastical administrative authority the Holy Synod composed of the canonical Orthodox hierarchs of Georgia, a Synod presided over by the Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi and Catholicos of all Georgia.
So that spiritual and canonical unity with our very holy Ecumenical, Apostolic and Patriarchal See and with all the autocephalous Orthodox Churches might be preserved, the Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi and Catholicos of all Georgia has the obligation to announce to their primates, according to the canonical order of our holy Orthodox Church, his election and elevation to his See by irenical letters, while presenting his confession and assurance that he and the holy Orthodox Church that has been confided to him will remain wholeheartedly faithful to Orthodox faith and piety as well as to everything that the holy canons and the order of the Holy Church command. Besides this, the Patriarch-Catholicos of Georgia will commemorate, according to the canonical order, in the diptychs, the name of the Ecumenical Patriarch as well as the other very holy Patriarchs and Their Beatitudes the Primates presiding over the holy autocephalous Churches. With regard to the holy Chrism, it is appropriate that the established ecclesiastical order be respected so that through visible and invisible signs the uninterrupted unity of our holy Orthodox Church may be constituted for all,– those who find themselves within the Church and those who are outside— proclaimed and assured.
We equally recommend that with regard to questions or points of contention of a more general ecclesiastical nature and, as such surpassing the limits of the jurisdiction of the particular autocephalous Churches, thus rending necessary a more general examination and a vote, the Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi and Catholicos of all Georgia addresses himself to our very holy Ecumenical and Patriarchal See, through which passes communion with each Orthodox episcopal see resting faithful to the word of truth and that he ask her and receive by her authoritative opinion and that of the other sister Churches.
All this having appeared good and having been decided by us during the plenum of the Holy Synod around us on January 23, 1990, we confirm it by our present patriarchal and synodal Tomos so that it may be preserved in time; a Tomos endorsed and signed in the Code of our holy Great Church of Christ and at the same time sent in a true copy to Archbishop Ilia of Mtskheta and Tbilisi and Catholicos of all Georgia, our dear brother in Christ and concelebrant, president of the Holy Synod of the holy autocephalous Orthodox Church of all Georgia, with a parallel announcement of the ecclesiastical deeds thus accomplished to the other sister autocephalous Orthodox Churches, according to the order, so that the unity of our holy Church might thus be preserved and consolidated.
And may God our Lord, through the grace and mercy of the first and great and supreme priest, Christ our God, by the intercession of His all-pure Mother, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, the glorious and illustrious apostles, heralds of God and bearers of the Holy Spirit, praised by all, the holy glorious emperors equal to the apostles Constantine and Helen, the holy missionary Nino and our holy God-bearing Fathers, support for all time our sister the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia which has entered into the body and will henceforth be of the number of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; and may He grant her progress and development for the glory of His holy Name, benefit her pious faithful for the greater joy of our very holy Ecumenical, Patriarchal and Apostolic See and of all the holy sister autocephalous Orthodox Churches.
In the year of salvation 1990, January 23
+Demetrios, Patriarch of Constantinople
+Bartholomew of Chalcedon +Jerome of Rhodopolis
+Gabriel of Cologne +Evangelos of Perge
+Callinicos of Lystra +Constantine of Derka
+Athanasius of Helenopolis +Joachim of Melitene
Patriarchal and Synodal Act conferring patriarchal Dignity to the Primate of the very holy Church of Georgia
Given that the canonical right to help the needs of the holy Churches of God and to heal and correct everything in them that must be treated has been reserved to our very holy Ecumenical Apostolic and Patriarchal See by an ecclesiastical arrangement going back several centuries– and that the very holy Orthodox Church of Georgia is included in the number of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches, being herself independent and autocephalous and managing her own affairs as she sees fit, our humble person and the venerable and honorable metropolitans around us have decided after common deliberation to accord, in conformity with ecclesiastical ‘economy’, the brotherly approbation and recognition of the very holy Church of Constantinople so that the very holy Church of Georgia may be honored with patriarchal dignity and prestige. From now on, her Primate will bear, according to the information that we find in the ancient chronicles and other ecclesiastical sources, the title of ‘Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi and Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia’ and will thus be mentioned in the Orthodox diptychs during the holy services.
We have the firm conviction that, regarding this decision of our holy Great Church of Christ, confirmed by her Holy Synod, we have the unanimous agreement of their Beatitudes the other Patriarchs and Primates of all the sister holy autocephalous Orthodox Churches and that, from now on, all will agree to recognize the patriarchal dignity of our sister Church of Georgia. We consequently express the hope that all this, aiming for the building up of the unity of our holy Orthodox Church, will be profitable for the progress of faith and piety in this sister Church, who will thus experience a great flourishing.
Bringing, with joy, this good news to Your very dear and honored Beatitude, to the venerable hierarchy around you, to the pious clergy and the pious and faithful Orthodox peopel of the Patriarchate of Georgia, we embrace Your Beatitude with a brotherly kiss and address all the flock of Christ with our blessing as first Hierarch, invoking upon all the grace and infinite mercy of Christ our God, founder of the Church.
In the year of salvation 1990, January 23
+Demetrios, Patriarch of Constantinople
+Bartholomew of Chalcedon +Jerome of Rhodopolis
+Gabriel of Cologne +Evangelos of Perge
+Callinicos of Lystra +Constantine of Derka
+Athanasius of Helenopolis +Joachim of Melitene
[Translated from the French version in: Episkepsis 450 (March 15, 1990): 2-10]
Orthodox Synaxis 