Concordat of 2002
The Constitutional Agreement between the Georgian state 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 Cathedral of the Living Pillar 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.
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.