President Saakashvili used the occasion to thank the Patriarch for his contributions to Georgian society. The President spoke about the deeds and commitments of Georgia\'s Catholicos – Patriarch Illia the Second – to Georgia’s spiritual life and thanked him for his support to the nation. \"I\'d like to point out with great appreciation the commitment of Georgia’s Spiritual Father, and personally, my spiritual father, Illia the second, who, ever since his enthronement stood by the nation when it fought for independence, freedom and victory. He managed to wake up the national spirit, managed to build new churches since the 1970s, and I want to bow down before him for his bravery and courage, thank him and wish him good health in order to lead the Nation for many years”, the president declared.

The role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the history of Georgia cannot be overstated, but over the past few years radicals operating within as well as without the church have threatened to overshadow the faith’s historical role as well as its positive contributions.

The influence the Church and its policies have on the general public was thrown into sharp relief this fall, when the new minister of education Alexander Lomaia announced education reforms. During informal interviews in the countryside this September, villagers repeatedly voiced concern about the reforms, stating fears that the new minister was planning on ending religion classes in the schools. The ‘New Rights’ political force collected several thousand signatures throughout the country demanding the minister’s resignation. Demonstrations against the minister were held in eight different towns. On November 10, students were escorted away from the ministry by police officers after attempting to convince the minister to continue teaching the history of the Orthodox Church in public schools. The minister was quoted saying these actions prove there is need to reform the schools.

Part of the fuel feeding the fire against the minister are rumors, which have remained unconfirmed, that he is a practicing member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, an active and highly unpopular religious group in Georgia. According to data from the International Center for Conflict Resolution, nearly 78% of Georgians polled this year consider themselves religious and 94% of those follow the Georgian Orthodox Church. In the same survey, 60% reported having negative feelings toward religious minorities like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, although less than half had contact with foreign faiths themselves.

Followers of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been persecuted throughout Georgia over the past several years, at times violently. On February 24 Human Rights Watch outlined priorities for human rights protections following the revolution, including defending religious freedom. In its brief, HRW states that over the past four years attacks on non-traditional groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Baptists have become a serious problem. They outlined several steps the new government should take to foster a safe atmosphere for religious minorities, including the fostering of religious tolerance and the arrest of Basili Mkalavishvili, a former priest and known vigilante against religious minorities.

Mkalavishvili was detained on March 12 at the Tbilisi airport and was tried this fall. His arrest prompted the president to speak out against extremism, stating that violence is against Christian principles. But some do not see the actions of Mkalavishvili as violence; they see it as protection. For the nearly 2,000 years Georgia has followed the Orthodox faith, it has battled to keep that faith. Some clergy see the new missionaries from the West as just one more enemy to be defeated.

In the mountainous resort of Bakhmaro, located between the regions of Guria and Adjara, Orthodox believers leave giant crosses on a different mountain peak each summer that serve to honor their faith as well as to remind Muslims in the area of their past and the country’s present. One priest involved in the activity said the cross reminds everyone of their sins and it is important that Muslims remember that their ancestors were Orthodox. He said the Orthodox Church is weak now and foreign faiths are taking advantage of its weakness. While he added there is much to respect from Western culture, he also remarked that the one true religion is Orthodoxy and western cultures have allowed people to create their own god.

Saakashvili addressed these concerns as well during his speech on March 12, saying violence is not protection and Christianity does not advocate beating someone as protecting the faith. He has continued to speak out for religious tolerance, reminding Georgians during his speech to the National Movement party that the country should use King Davit Aghmashenebeli as their example while rebuilding the nation. “A third important issue is the involvement of representatives from all ethnic groups in Georgia’s political life. There are just two criteria for someone to be promoted in Georgia – professionalism and loyalty to Georgia…That is why we see modern Georgian history as a continuation of what Davit Aghmashenebeli began,” he said, adding that Davit used to visit mosques, synagogues and churches.

According to organizations like Human Rights Watch, it was the lack of government intervention during Shevardnadze that led to the current situation. In a February letter to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Rachel Denber, the acting director of the Europe and Central Asia divison of HRW, stated, “This culture of impunity has had a degrading impact on Georgian society. It has made religious nationalism an acceptable if not necessary element of political platforms. And it has made intolerance acceptable in Georgian society.” It will be up to the new administration to make sure King Davit’s legacy of religious tolerance in Georgia is as honored as his nation building.