Catholics in Georgia welcome Orthodox attempts to mediate peace

Published: 2007-11-14

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Catholic representatives in Georgia have welcomed Orthodox attempts to mediate in the current crisis and insisted Catholics would not take sides. "We will have to see what happens, but the Orthodox church can clearly play an important role by assisting dialogue and acting independently of any vested interests," said Father Rolandas Makrickas, an official at the Vatican's Tbilisi-based nunciature, in a telephone interview Nov. 14 with Catholic News Service. Father Andrzej Graczyk, vicar general in Tbilisi, told CNS Nov. 13, "The Catholic Church is a very small presence in Georgia, and it's always dangerous for us to speak on political issues here. "The Orthodox church is much more active and influential, so its appeals will certainly have an effect," he said. Catholics make up less than 2 percent of Georgia's population, and Orthodox make up more than 83 percent.

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