Conflict within Abkhazian Church Eparchy

There are 12 members within the Abkhazian Orthodox Church Eparchy; eight of those bishops support the Akhali Atoni Senior Priest, Father Andrei Ampar, who is a co-chairman of the Council. The four other bishops support another co-chairman Besarion Plia. These four bishops ignore the Eparchy Council.

The tension between them started since the young Bishops commenced the implementation of Cardinal reforms within the Eparchy. Father Andrei Ampar and Father Dorophei Dbar (of the reformatory branch) have more influence in the Eparchy than Father Besarion Plia.

Besarion Plia considers the main goals of the reformatory branch to be incorrect – such as their wish to translate theological and divine service texts into the Abkhazian language, to create a private diocese for the Abkhazian Orthodox Church. Father Besarion Plia wants to bring the Abkhazian Church closer to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Father Andrei Ampar and Father Dorophei Dbar have drastically different idea - they think the Abkhazian Eparchy does not need any support from Russia. They look for support in Greece. Regarding this quest, Father Dorophei Dbar is leaving for Greece soon.

Father Besarion Plia tried to dismiss the stubborn bishops, which only further complicated the conflict between them. Father Besarion Plia is the only cleric of the Georgian Orthodox Church among the Abkhazian Bishops. Officially, the Abkhazian Church belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church. The others, including the reformatory bishops, are clerics of the Russian Church.

Maikop Church has been involved in the conflict for a long time to try and resolve the problem. According to their advice, the Eparchy was divided in two and two co-chairmen were appointed - Father Besarioni and Father Andrei. However there was no positive result.

The divine service stopped this summer in Sukhumi Cathedral Church, because Father Besarioni refused to conduct the service together with Father Andrei. The tension within the eparchy has split the parish as well.

The situation has become complicated in the Gali District too. Local people have collected a substantial amount of money to build a church in the centre of the district. They brought construction materials and laid the foundations, but Otar Turnanba (the deputy head of the Gali District Police Department and an infamous criminal) banned them from building an Orthodox Church on the site. Moreover he detained three young men working on the church’s construction. Father Pimen was the chief in charge of the construction and a cleric of the Russian Church. The construction has now been stopped.

Nato Berulava, Zugdidi