Georgian President hopes Church will elect "pro-European" Patriarch
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili. Photo: gettyimages.com
Georgian head of state Salome Zourabichvili said on her official visit to London that the situation with the Church of Georgia is "very difficult" due to the "weakness" of 91-year-old Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, Sova News reports.
Zourabishvili also expressed hope that in the future the Georgian Church will "follow the pro-Western rhetoric" and "will be able to elect a pro-Georgian and pro-European Patriarch, not a pro-Russian Patriarch".
"I think that the Orthodox Church here, as in any other Orthodox country, is very close to the government, tends to follow the changes of accents and nuances," she said.
Zourabishvili's statement has already been commented on by the pro-government Georgian Dream party. Its leader, former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, said that the President's remarks are a direct attack on the Patriarch and the Church and that Zourabishvili herself is "a big anti-Georgian phenomenon".
"I think this speaks very well of Salome Zourabishvili herself. The mask she has worn throughout this period has been torn off," he said.
As reported, the Georgian Patriarch supported the country's steps to join the EU.
Read also
WHO urges securing equal access to IVF for same-sex couples
WHO’s new recommendations substantially broaden the concept of infertility and open the door to widespread use of assisted reproduction, including for same-sex couples and transgender individuals.
In Kniazhychi, brotherhood defends their monastery from seizure
Parishioners and the brotherhood of the UOC Transfiguration Monastery in Kniazhychi succeeded in defending their sacred site from the attempts of security forces and raiders.
UOC Primate congratulates Met. Arseniy on 20 years of episcopal ordination
The Primate of the UOC sent greetings to Metropolitan Arseniy on the anniversary of his personal Pentecost.
UGCC urges faithful to be ready to lay down their lives for Ukraine
The UGCC hierarchs have published a letter to the faithful urging them to cleanse the country of Soviet methods of governance, military organization, and economic management.
Condition of Metropolitan Theodosiy shows first signs of recovery
For the first time since his hospitalization, the health indicators of Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy have begun to improve.
Court to choose preventive measure for Met. Arseniy in Dnipro on December 5
The prosecutor demands that the detention of the UOC hierarch be extended.