Concordat of 2002

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The Constitutional Agreement between the state of Georgia and the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia (Georgian: კონსტიტუციური შეთანხმება საქართველოს სახელმწიფოსა და საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალურ მართლმადიდებელ ეკლესიას შორის), informally referred to as the Concordat, is an agreement between the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) and the state that defines relations between the two entities. It was signed by President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze and Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II on October 14, 2002 at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia.

The "concordat" confirms the GOC’s ownership of all churches and monasteries on the territory of Georgia except for those currently privately owned. The agreement recognizes the special role of the GOC in the history of Georgia and devolves authority over all religious matters to it, including matters outside the Church. The concordat also gives the patriarch immunity, grants the GOC the exclusive right to staff the military chaplaincy, exempts GOC clergymen from military service, and gives the GOC a unique consultative role in government, especially in the sphere of education. However, many of these articles require Parliament to adopt implementing legislation, which it has not yet done. As a partial owner of what had been confiscated from the church under Soviet rule (1921-1991), the State pledges to recompense, at least partially, for the damage.^[1]^[2]^[3]