Representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) and several religious denominations convened in the courtyard of the Metekhi Cathedral to issue a joint statement regarding Pride Week.

According to Andria Jagmaidze, head of the GOC public relations service, the so-called actual purpose of the LGBTQ+ movement is not to safeguard anyone’s rights but to modify the cultural tradition that society cannot tolerate.

According to him, disputes are never addressed via violence, and no one is ever called to violence.

“Under the guise of human rights, tolerance, and acceptance, the so-called LGBT movement is carrying out far-reaching plans. This is evident in countries where this movement first cropped up some decades ago. We clearly said years ago that the true goal of this movement is to promote perverse lifestyles, including propaganda among the adolescent population, registering same-sex couples as families, adopting children, and, in general, rewriting the cultural code.

Everything is on display now, and we can plainly see attempts to spread this propaganda among youngsters. We have assembled here to express yet again that our society cannot tolerate this, is not prepared, and will never be. Because this problem threatens civil peace and produces great divisiveness, we believe it is best resolved at the legislative level.

Along with members from many religions, we also clearly express to you our unanimity on this topic and state loudly: throughout the ages, we have developed a culture of coexistence in our country, in which mutual respect and acceptance are firmly ingrained. We do not resolve disputes among ourselves through violence, and we never call anybody to violence, and we really hope that no one pushes what is unacceptable to us using violence, guile, and deception. Traces of our civil culture may be seen from here, the courtyard of the Metekhi Cathedral, which is a remarkable example of the development and cohabitation of a common state by people of completely diverse religions and cultures throughout the ages,” said Andria Jagmaidze.