False slander by the Armenian lobby against His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Metropolitan Ilia II of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia continues. Moreover, even in the publication of Armenian Javakheti separatists which positions itself as "pro-Western" jam-news.net/.

Here is an extract from an article recently published on his website by Zhanna Tarkhanova, "The new team of the new president of 'South Ossetia' - who's in and what to expect":

Some bewilderment and criticism has been caused by the recent decision of the new President Alan Gagloev to appoint Anatoly Pliyev to the post of Secretary of the Security Council.

Pliev, 69, already headed this structure during the presidency of Leonid Tibilov from 2012 to 2017. Then he found himself at the center of a major scandal after he participated in a confidential meeting with the Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II.

In South Ossetia, Ilia II is considered “the ideologist of Georgian fascism” who “blessed Georgians to kill Ossetians.”

Gocha Dzasokhashvili, a well-known Georgian businessman, an Ossetian by nationality, also participated in that behind-the-scenes meeting with Ilia II. It also causes controversy both in South Ossetia and North.

Dzasokhashvili headed the “Assembly of the Peoples of Georgia in Russia” for a long time. In 2014, it was liquidated by the Russian Ministry of Justice, but it continues to exist in Georgia.

Despite the great indignation in society in connection with those “secret negotiations between Anatoly Pliev and Gocha Dzasokhashvili with Ilia II”, no explanations were given by the authorities at that time.

In connection with the sudden appearance of Pliev in the team of Alan Gagloev, that story is being discussed again in the republic. There are no comments from the new government yet.”

The piece repeats the false fabrication of Armenian propaganda that allegedly Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II "blessed Georgians to kill Ossetians". This lie was actively used by Armenian provocateurs back in the 90s to stir up the separatist conflicts in Samachablo and Abkhazia. Even then they started a campaign of lies and slander against the Georgian Orthodox Church (from which, as we know today, they intend to take away at least 465 churches in Georgia).

To create a slanderous falsehood the address of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II in the fall of 1990 was pulled out of the context of events to prevent the political confrontation and fratricidal civil war in Georgia (which, unfortunately, still happened in 1991).

here is an accurate translation of the text of the Decree of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II:

SPECIAL DECREE

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit I hereby declare that any murderer of a Georgian, regardless of the guilt or innocence of the victim (the murdered one), shall henceforth be declared an enemy of the Georgian people.

The name and lineage of the murderer shall be entered in a special book of the Patriarchate and shall be transmitted from generation to generation as a disgraceful and reprehensible.

A special decree shall be passed so that the gravest sin and crime before God and the nation, fratricide, shall be forever done away with in Georgia."

Question: where in the text is there a call to kill Ossetians as the pro-Armenian media and provocateurs claim? Or Abkhazians!". It is a condemnation of fratricidal war (this word is highlighted at the end) and the aim of the decree is clear and understandable - to prevent a fratricidal war.

Official comment by the Georgian Patriarchate after the Decree was issued:

"Recently, numerous bandit parties and various armed formations have emerged in Georgia. People are not yet accustomed to the new democratic way of life. Political confrontation is turning into a real fight and this is becoming a reason for fratricide. In order to prevent fratricide, i.e. killing of a Georgian by a Georgian, the Patriarch had to issue an emergency decree, which was published along with a statement in the Georgian press. The Romans used to say: "Times change and so do we. A few years ago it was impossible to imagine what is happening today. The 28th of October, 1990 was a historical day in Georgia. On this day, the first multiparty elections were held in Georgia. There are many changes ahead. But there are also many dangers. Man has become violent, mistrustful, untrustworthy; brutal crimes, including murder, have multiplied. A Georgian is threatened with death, and often carries out these threats. Therefore, on this historic day, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, made an extraordinary decision, which was read on October 28th at the Sion Cathedral after the mass."

Again - not a single word that could be interpreted as animosity towards Ossetians and Abkhazians.

However, Armenian provocateurs and propagandists, creators of fakes, interpreted the Decree of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II as "a call to kill Ossetians" and "a blessing to kill Ossetians" without any reason after the conflict started in the Tskhinvali region. The words "killer of every Georgian" were translated into Russian by translating the text of the decree into the words "the killer of any Georgian" and they added a lie that the decree referred specifically to "Ossetians". And then they began to replicate this fabrication with slander of Catholicos Ilia II in the Moscow media. Eventually, the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II had to explain the position of the Georgian Patriarchate:

"TO THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF “KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA”

The article "The House with Windows on the War" dated January 31, 1991 says that Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia issued an emergency order: "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit I order: from now on the murderer of each Georgian, regardless of guilt or innocence of the victim, be declared an enemy of the Georgian people. Put his name and surname in a special book of the Patriarchate and pass it down from generation to generation as shameful and subject to condemnation ...". The author's comment is clear - "lawlessness" and "Ossetians are not protected by the law of God".

Since the matter concerns such a painful for all of us area of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations, as well as the honour of my brother, Patriarch Ilia, I believe it is necessary to bring to the attention of the editors and readers of your newspaper that there are other opinions regarding this order (it would probably be more correct to translate - decree) of Patriarch Ilia.

In December 1990 I received a letter from Abkhazia, from the Women's Committee of St. Nina of the Gulripsh district, which stated "Our Patriarch-Catholicos of All Georgia Ilia II has announced an order to stop fratricide, according to which every Georgian who commits murder is declared an enemy of the nation. In the Russian press the Patriarch's order was intentionally or unintentionally translated from the Georgian language inaccurately and read as follows: "the murderer of any Georgian shall be declared an enemy of the Georgian people.

I have no knowledge of the Georgian language. But I know Patriarch Ilia as a man of wisdom and as a man filled with the spirit of Christian love. And therefore I think that the translation by Georgian women is more consistent with the truth than the translation given in "Komsomolskaya Pravda".

As I see it, this decree of the Georgian Patriarch was intended as a means (as a last resort for the Church) to stop the slide towards civil war. And as a means to save his native Georgia (it was already clear that as soon as blood was spilled in Georgia, martial law would be imposed there with unpredictable consequences for the recovering statehood of the republic).

This step of the Georgian Patriarch is on a par with the previous act of Patriarch of all Armenians Vazgen I, who at the time of high tensions in his country threatened that if the Armenians (who, I must say, greatly respected their Patriarch) would continue to listen to the voice of passions rather than reason, he, the Patriarch would vow silence: since people do not want to hear the voice of their Patriarch, the Patriarch would not address him anymore.

There were times when it was the Patriarch's duty to speak bitter words to the face of the rulers. Now, it seems, there are times when even more bitter words must be spoken to the face of the people.

Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

31 January 1991.

A collection of selected works for the anniversary of his enthronement in 1990-1991. The Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate. MOSCOW, 1991, PP. 186-188.

What else is unclear? Where did Patriarch Ilia II "called for the murder of Ossetians and Abkhazians"? Why this lie is shamelessly replicated by Armenian and pro-Armenian media?

As can be seen from the letter of Patriarch Alexy II he was well aware of who was the real author of lies inciting enmity between Georgians and Ossetians and therefore he mentioned Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I.

But the letter of Alexy II does not reach Ossetians and Abkhazians. But lies of Komsomolskaya Pravda that was concocted by Armenian provocateurs are repeated in the separatist territories and the Russian Federation at every opportunity.

And further on, every time touching on the Georgian Orthodox Church Armenian propagandists repeated this slander in their media, accompanying the materials with "high-sounding" headlines, such as "Tskhinvali: Ilia II personally blessed the genocide of the Ossetian people". ( https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2019/11/22/chinval-iliya-ii-lichno-blagoslovlyal-genocid-osetinskogo-naroda ). And the material again contains a slanderous fabrication that allegedly "the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church himself blessed the Georgian army in the 1990s and in August 2008 before the attack on Tskhinvali".

Here is the real attitude of the Patriarchate towards the events of August 2008:

"The Georgian Orthodox Church expresses its deep sorrow over the created situation in the country and expresses its condolences to the families of the dead and wounded - both on the Georgian and Ossetian sides. This is our common tragedy, but everyone should know, and especially the population of Tskhinvali region (and also residents of Abkhazia) that Georgians are not at war with them and no one wants to expel them. Georgia defends integrity of its borders. This is a just desire and it is in line with international norms.

Everyone knows that the autonomy of South Ossetia is a result of forcible occupation of our country by the Soviets. This autonomy was established on our historic territory only 80-90 years ago and it must not be used as a basis for separatism.

Ossetians have lived peacefully on this land together with Georgians for centuries, as well as Abkhazians in Abkhazia. We want to continue to coexist peacefully, but the Georgian people will never accept an encroachment on their borders. Georgia has never usurped someone else's territory, but it will defend its territories till the end. So this is a fight for our territorial integrity and not ethnical conflicts.

The Georgian Church has always been and remains an advocate of just and peaceful resolution of issues. However, there will be no peace without justice.

We appeal to the government of Russia and call on it to stop completely unjustified aggressive actions on the territory of Georgia and not to incite the separatist forces with its support. We also appeal to the Georgian authorities and the international community to use all efforts to stop the bloodshed and find political and other ways to restore justice.

This is not a necessary action only for Georgia or only for the Caucasus. Here, at the crossroads of Eurasia, the fate of many nations is being decided.

The history of Georgia is the history of innumerable trials. We will weather the situation. The most important thing is to take the right steps at the right time, so that the situation does not deteriorate further. Prayer is very powerful.

Once again, we invite all of us to increase our prayers to God. August 9, 2008".

Again - where did Armenian provocateurs see a call for "genocide of Ossetians" here? Are there only calls for reconciliation?

Unfortunately anti-Georgian lies continue to be spread among Ossetian and Abkhazian people and it is the Georgian Orthodox Church and Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II that is most attacked. In one way or another the fakes of anti-Georgian and anti-Orthodox propaganda are recalled whenever it comes to attempts of the Georgian Patriarchate to do everything for reconciliation of brotherly peoples. It even went so far that even a person who just talked to Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II was presented by provocateurs and protectors of the separatists as almost a "traitor".  For example, this happened to the same Anatoly Pliev and Gocha Dzasokhov.

Kavkazplus