Republican Party Chair Condemns Georgian Orthodox Church
On November 28, Republican Party Chair Khatuna Samnidze referred to the Georgian Patriarchate as "one of the worst sins" and "Russia's continuation, seeking to spread hatred, disdain, and violence in the population."
She thinks the patriarchate can affect political processes, particularly the severe problem of femicide. She contends that despite holding such power, the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) seeks to place the blame elsewhere - on society and the media - instead of feeling responsible for its own actions. Samnidze claimed that it meddles in politics, hindering the country's development, equality, and expansion.
Earlier, two men were detained by the police on suspicion of robbing and mistreating a 70-year-old nun as part of a crime that involved plundering the Tskhramukha nunnery in Khashuri Municipality.
Notably, Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, the Head of the Public Relations Department of the Georgian Orthodox Church, blamed some media outlets (opposition Mtavari Arkhi TV, TV Pirveli, and Formula TV), theologians, and experts for their hidden and organized anti-church campaign, suggesting that the country’s salvation, its economic rise, and political victories, can happen only through the complete reorganization of the Orthodox Church or by dissolving it entirely, which has a heavy impact on parts of the population. The Archpriest also said that attempts to decline the Christian Church are also linked with the destruction of family traditions, manifested by the frequency of family conflicts. In that context, he hinted at the horrible crime that happened in Terjola the day before, where a man murdered his wife and injured several others, including himself, when he poured gasoline over her and set her on fire.