Државна самосталност као фактор црквене аутокефалије
State Independence and Church Autocephaly: the Example of the Georgian Church

Summary/Abstract: The issue of factors and conditions of autocephaly is canonically undefined, so the church practice on this issue has been diverse and volatile. In such circumstances, different views have emerged on the conditions and factors of autocephaly, one of which is that state independence is a necessary condition for church independence in the territory of a given state. Starting from that model as a centuries-old church practice, Russian theologians opposed the renewal of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church in 1906, since in the political sense, Georgia was still part of the Russian Empire. The paper analyzes the arguments of two ecclesiological conceptions whose systematization was caused by the issue of renewal of the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church, first extensively discussed at the sessions of the Pre-Council Presence (Предсоборное Присутствие) in 1906, in a broader historical context of preparations for the All-Russian Local Council. This was also the first time in the history of the Church that significant theological attention was paid to the issue of state independence as a factor of autocephaly. The analysis of the arguments of Russian and Georgian theologians from the aspect of canonical tradition and historical church practice sheds light on canonical principles on the conditions for gaining church independence. It is concluded that the Church many times during its history due to historical and political turmoil has not been able to organize one Ecumenical Council similar to the first seven Ecumenical Councils, and as a reference model for certain issues, specifically the acquisition of autocephaly, the previous church custom was respected. Church customs regarding its organization and administration were formed in accordance with what was practical and functional for the Church in a certain historical and political context. However, it was often called a custom what was done in accordance with the desire of the secular government, which adapted church organization to its own interests. Thus, in the newly established Balkan nation-states, the government initiated the establishment of national autocephalous churches for fear that in case of dependence on the church center in a foreign country, the church in the homeland could have a negative effect on national and state stability. The canons do not speak about state independence as a condition of autocephaly, nor do they forbid that within the competence of the same civil authority, i.e. within the borders of the same state, there can be several autocephalous churches. In this regard, we believe that “autocephaly conditions” should be distinguished from “autocephaly factors”. State independence can be considered one of the important factors, but not one of the indispensable conditions of the same.

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