Strategy Aghmashenebeli criticizes labeling Georgian Orthodox Church as Stalinist

14:42, 21.01.2024

Declaring the Georgian Orthodox Church as Stalinist is wrong, Paata Manjgaladze, a member of the opposition Strategy Aghmashenebeli party, stated.

Manjgaladze criticized the characterization of the Georgian Orthodox Church as Stalinist, asserting that such a statement is unjust. While acknowledging the possibility of Stalinist individuals within the church, he emphasized that it is incorrect to generalize the entire institution in this manner.

“Let’s come and attend Sunday service, and you will understand that Russia and Stalin have nothing to do with the church. The tradition that was preached from the time of the apostles, and the rules that exist, have been preserved in the Georgian Orthodox Church; we should all respect that. Maybe there are some Stalinists, I don’t rule it out, but we can’t talk about the whole church like that,” Manjgaladze said.

The remark comes after one of the leaders of the Republican Party, Davit Berdzenishvili, said: “They are not only protecting the icon of Matrona and the Russian narrative, they are protecting Stalin, the Georgian Patriarchate is full of Stalinists.”

By - Tamar Tabatadze

Politics

Georgian Orthodox Church

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