The Head of Georgia’s Orthodox Church Patriarch Ilia II (Patriarchate.ge)
The Head of Georgia’s Orthodox Church Patriarch Ilia II has said that foreigners in Georgia should know their place. The Patriarch addressed his parish on 28 September at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral Youth Centre, according to Netgazeti.
‘We often think about the fact that a lot of tourists come to Georgia — this makes us very happy. Tourists bring in material wealth […] All of this indicates that Georgia is attractive, but does this benefit us or not? We cannot ban them from coming in, but a guest must know their place and a host must know their place’, Ilia II said.
The patriarch is often cited as the most popular figure in the country. According a 2015 poll conducted by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, 87% of Georgians saw him favourably.
The comments came in the wake of the 14 July xenophobic, ethno-nationalist ‘March of Georgians’ rally, which saw hundreds take to the streets in Tbilisi against ‘illegal immigrants’.
Demonstrators rallied against what they termed an ‘immigrant takeover’, claiming that foreigners enjoy privileges in the country and restrict Georgians’ rights.
On 12 September the organisers held an ‘anti-Soros’ demonstration outside the office of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, founded by billionaire American philanthropist George Soros, before moving to the headquarters of Kakha Kaladze, the ruling Georgian Dream party’s candide for mayor.
Their demands included that foreigners be prevented from buying land in Georgia. The government has already put limitations on the sale of agricultural lands to foreigners.
The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, has urged former president Mikheil Saakashvili to end his hunger strike.
On 1 October, hours after he was placed in the 12th Prison in the city of Rustavi, Saakashvili announced he was going on hunger strike demanding his freedom.
The former Georgian President faces a minimum of six years in prison after being convicted in absentia on several counts of abuse of power, including ordering an attack on political opponent Valeri Gelash
The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, planned to step down in 2020 for unknown reasons, files allegedly leaked from the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) show.
This is the latest report from around 3,000 files allegedly leaked from the SSG on 12 September, many of which involve senior clergy from the Georgian Orthodox Church.
[Read more on OC Media: Leaked ‘kompromat’ against the clergy rocks Georgia]
According to the alleged surveillance files, Dimitri Shiolas
Two nuns were locked out of their cloister on Thursday evening shortly before the curfew began after they joined a rally in Tbilisi against the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II.
Nuns Sosana Bolkvadze and Nino Gamkrelidze found themselves shut out of their convent in the Chkondidi Diocese after they arrived back from the protest. The two had also refused to mention Ilia II in their prayers.
The Chkondidi Diocese centred in Martvili, a town located between the western Georgia
The Georgian Orthodox Church has resisted calls to restrict upcoming Easter celebrations to limit the spread of COVID-19. Public health authorities have warned that mass gatherings in churches, as is usual in Georgia over Easter, could lead to a widespread outbreak of the virus.
Asked about the celebrations on 6 April, Paata Imnadze, Deputy Director of Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), urged Christian believers to pray at home.
‘Let’s pray at home for each other and for
The Head of Georgia’s Orthodox Church Patriarch Ilia II has said that foreigners in Georgia should know their place. The Patriarch addressed his parish on 28 September at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral Youth Centre, according to 
