A pastoral delegation sent by the World Council of Churches (WCC) to Georgia and Russia has not been able to visit South Ossetia from the Georgian side of the ceasefire line. Unable to make the half-hour drive to Tskhinvali from within Georgia, they are now traveling thousands of kilometres to reach the enclave from the Russian side instead.
The ecumenical delegation could not be given a guarantee of safe passage from the authorities inside South Ossetia. The route should by now be a corridor for aid, but the humanitarian access stipulated by the ceasefire agreement in mid-August is apparently not being honoured. Armed groups are accused of acts of violence in the area.
Government and aid officials in Georgia told the WCC group that up to 7,000 ethnic Georgians are still living in South Ossetia under uncertain conditions. Even the Red Cross has largely been denied access, they said, but the Georgian Orthodox Church has limited access to a few of them.
Early in the war, with help from the Russian Orthodox Church, Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II secured permission to visit a bishop and a few priests and nuns who have stayed in South Ossetia. Since then the church has brought in food and brought out Georgian casualties that were still lying unburied several days after the war.
"We want to express our immense gratitude that you have come in the difficult situation Georgia is facing now," the Georgian Patriarch told the WCC delegation.
"Be assured we are with you at this difficult time," said Archbishop Nifon of Targoviste, Romania, the delegation head.
"We have been following the situation in your country with great sorrow," said Rev Jean-Arnold de Clermont, president of the Conference of European Churches.
"At the same time, we are greatly impressed by your visit to South Ossetia and by the public declarations in favour of peace by the two patriarchates of Russia and Georgia."
