Georgian Church warns faithful about UOC-KP cleric’s activities
The Georgian Orthodox Church warned that religious rites performed by a self-proclaimed Kyiv Patriarchate cleric are invalid.
The Georgian Orthodox Church has warned the faithful against participating in religious rites performed by Giorgi Guliashvili, who was previously exposed as an impostor posing as a priest and now claims to be a cleric of the Kyiv Patriarchate, UOJ-Georgia reports.
The Georgian Patriarchate said videos have been circulating on social media showing Guliashvili performing purported religious rites. The Church explained that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) is a schismatic group not recognized by any Local Orthodox Church.
The Georgian Church also noted that even the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) distances itself from the group, considering the Kyiv Patriarchate’s existence canonically unjustified. It added that ordinations performed by schismatics have no canonical validity.
“All ‘sacred rites’ performed by Giorgi Guliashvili are uncanonical and have no recognition or sacramental grace,” the Georgian Orthodox Church stated.
As the UOJ previously reported, UOC-KP “Patriarch” Nikodym announced the establishment of a “metochion” in the Georgian town of Lagodekhi and appointed Guliashvili rector of its chapel following an “ordination” performed by one of the group’s “bishops.”
