Scholarly record
RELIGIOUS POLICY IN DE FACTO STATES OF CAUCASUS - ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA
Abstract
Abkhazia and South Ossetia represent specific cases of disintegration of the Soviet empire. Owing to an extensive support of Russia, they managed to effectively separate from Georgia and to get formal recognition of their independence from Russia. However, in fact, Russia conducts full control over both of these republics, which is significantly different from other republics in the post-Soviet space existing de jure. Both of these separatist republics are under direct economic, political and military control of Russia. Nonetheless, what is surprising is the position of the Russian Orthodox Church, which in other countries unreservedly supports Russian power politics. In Abkhazia and South Ossetia it rejects to break the boundaries of its ecclesiastical jurisdiction and it has refused the admission of Orthodox believers under the Moscow Patriarchate, explaining that even after the political separation local Orthodox believers belonged under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Orthodox Church. However, this fact is rejected by Abkhazian and South Ossetian church leaders and they have started looking for a new structure for their existence. The present study analyzes in detail the entire process of building a new church hierarchy in relation to external policy of all actors involved. The study is framed within the concept of religious "soft power," which in the Caucasus region has undergone a specific development of confrontations between various ecclesial structures.
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