The IRFBA Conference “Freedom of Religion and Belief as a Source of Resilience and Religious Engagement” continues in Prague.

The Chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues, Zaza Vashakmadze, participated in the Eurasian panel, moderated by Wade Kusack, founder and CEO of the US non-profit organization “Love Your Neighbor Community” (LYNC) https://lyncommunity.org/.  The moderator’s main interests were: the impact of the post-Soviet past on religious freedom; religious freedom and national security issues in modern Georgia; the impact of Georgia’s geopolitical situation on freedom of religion and religious legislation.

Zaza Vashakmadze spoke about religious repressions in Soviet Georgia, freedom of religion in modern Georgia as a fundamental value, interreligious dialogue as a format for interfaith relations between religious organizations, the activities of the State Agency for Religious Issues and the legislative framework that calls for the development of a law on religion.

An interactive dialogue was held after the speech. One of the panelists asked Zaza Vashakmadze  - who had the greater authority in the countries, the clergy or the laity? Zaza Vashakmadze replied that Georgia was an ancient Christian country, which declared Orthodoxy the state religion in 326, and in the fifth century the Georgian Church gained autocephaly. As for authorities - a number of sociological studies conducted in Georgia confirmed that the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II, enjoyed the highest authority among the clergy, while the Georgian army had the greatest authority among the state structures.

The Eurasian Panel was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The publication “Occupied Heritage” displayed in the lobby of the Ministry, next to the banner of the Agency, aroused great interest among the participants. Representatives of religious organizations, diplomats and journalists from various countries were reviewing the photo materials, that provided a clear picture of the situation in the occupied territories of Georgia.