Georgians deprived AAC of legal status
The Georgian parliament amended on Tuesday the country's Civil Code allowing religious minorities in Georgia to be registered as legal entities.
It partially deprived the legal status, which has previously been granted to some religious communities, including the Armenian Apostolic Church. Should, the AAC be granted a legal status, it could carry out political, state, social, educational, cultural and social activities without state supervision.
This came after the introduction of a bill Friday granting five religious minorities-the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical Baptist Church as well as the Muslim and Jewish communities in Georgia-legal status. It was determined that parliament would vote on the matter after a second and final reading, which happened Tuesday, with extensive amendments to the original bill.
However, Patriarch of All Georgians, Ilia II, in a written statement, urged parliament to not adopt the resolution.
According to the new amendments, religious communities have right to register as religious organizations.
