RELIGION IN THE GEORGIAN SSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000300060008-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2009
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: November 23, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000300060008-4
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COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Religion in the Georgian SSR
PLACE
DATE
DATE OF I
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. There were five separate religious groups in Georgia, all operating on an
independent basis. There was a sixth group up until World War II, the German
Evangelical Church; but since all the Germans were resettled elsewhere, -this 25X1
group ceased to exist in Georgia.
a, The largest single group, the Georgian Orthodox Church. was similar to the
Russian Orthodox in most respects,
ea g an ratriaron was superior to he a r arc of Moscow in bo h
precedence and authority.
b, The Russian Orthodox Church served the Russian population, which in Tbilisi
might have numbered up to 100,000.
c, The Armenian Gregorian Church served the many Armenians in Georgia.
d. There was one Jewish Synagogue. in Tbilisi but there were
'tens of thousand of Jews in Georgia. During or war 11, many Jews came
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to Georgia, and many of them stayed there after the War. There was little,
if any, anti-semitic discrimination in Georgia, or little discrimination
of any kind, for that matter,
e. There were also some few Mohammedans in Georgia, primarily among the
Azerbai_ianese8 There might have been more in the northern Caucasus region,
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2. There seemed to be no proselytism by the various religious groups in Georgia; nor was
there anything that could beccalle ..cooperation. During World War II', the religious
organizations did what they could to help the country in its suffering but this could
in no way be interpreted as abetment of the Bolshevik regime, After the Nazis had
revealed their true colors, there was certainly no reason for any of-the religious
bodies to support them either. Any help rendered, therefore, must be considered as
having been both humane and patriotic, but in no sense political.
Since 1936, there has been a quasi-freedom of religion in Georgia. Church and State
had arrived at a point of mutual nor-interference. Party agents might have existed
among the clergy, but it was not apparent to me, However, religious services were
limited to weekly services, funerals, weddi r ms etc.;. there was no organized
religious instruction of arounal Such instruction might
even have been prohibited As a result of all
this
lattendance in churches gradually fell offal
a continuation of this trend would probably lead to the extinction of organized
religion in Georgia.
4, Religious bodies in Georgia received absolutely no financial aid from the State.
They were supported entirely by the donations of those attending services. There were
theological seminaries in and around Moscow which supplied the clergy for the churches;
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5. Naturally, no.Party member was permitted to attend any religious service whatsoever.
In fact, there was one case where a prominent member ii the local Raykom 25X1
had an only son who was deathly-ill, and the doctors in the region were apparently
unable to do anything for the boy, so that he died; it was quite a blow to the father,
who wrote a long article on the matter. The man launched a tirade against doctors in
particular and against medicine in general, pointing out the futility of putting any
faith in such services. He then became somewhat of a mystic. His mysticism was so
akin to religion that the Party found it somewhat embarrassing to have him in its-ranks,
and he was dismissed from his post in the government and eventually from membership
in the Party.
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Approved For Release 2009/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000300060008-4