Archimandrite Dorote Kurashvili, who has been a vocal critic of the Georgian authorities and their alleged influence over the Georgian Orthodox Church, has been suspended from priestly service on accusations of violating church ethics.
The Church published the decision, signed by Patriarch Ilia II, on Monday. It stated that Kurashvili, who until recently served as a cleric at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, ‘repeatedly violated’ canonical church ethics ‘despite warnings’.
Kurashvili gained particular prominence in recent months for his outspoken criticism of the ruling Georgian Dream party. He made numerous statements concerning violence against anti-government protesters, government-sponsored conspiracy theories, and what he described as Russia’s efforts to lead Georgians toward ‘physical, cultural, and spiritual extinction’ through the hands of the ruling party.
He has also repeatedly criticised certain members of the Church leadership, accusing them of having ties to the ruling party. Because of his positions, the archimandrite faced problems not only with the Patriarchate but also frequently became a target of the ruling party members and its associates, including pro-government media.
Kurashvili said on Monday evening that the suspension had not come as a surprise, though it was ‘inexplicable’ why the decision makers had ‘rushed’ and removed him from priestly service without summoning him before the relevant commission.
In assessing the punishment, he criticised several representatives of the Patriarchate, including Patriarchal Locum Tenens Shio Mujiri, head of the Public Relations Service Andria Jaghmaidze, and Patriarchal Secretary Mikael Botkoveli, stating that ‘the Church will collapse’ if they remain within it.
‘I was one of the few here in the Church who steadfastly opposed the Russians and spoke the truth against them. I will continue to do so, though no longer as a cleric but as an ordinary citizen’, he said, as quoted by IPN.
‘The Church is dying, the country is dying, and the priest remains silent. Everyone who stays silent is guilty, and no one can justify themselves,’ he added.
Kurashvili’s suspension was condemned by the government critics, including former President Salome Zourabichvili.
‘The Patriarchate’s decision shames the Georgian Church and its centuries-long struggle for freedom and independence! I will never believe that the Patriarch agrees with injustice!’ she wrote on Facebook.
The decision was also condemned by theologian Beka Mindiasvhili, known for his outspoken criticism of the Patriarchate’s policies. In his words, ‘Instead of protecting Father Dorote from the [ruling party’s] terror, the Patriarchate itself became, as was predictable, an instrument for carrying out that terror’.
In the past, the Patriarchate denied claims there was a political dimension to Kurashvili’s case, with Jaghmaidze saying that he was being challenged for making ‘offensive remarks’ about the Church and its representatives, not for making political statements.
Prior to his suspension, in October, the archimandrite had been removed from his position as head of the Lower Bethlehemi Church in Old Tbilisi. A Church commission accused Kurashvili of ‘slanderous behavior and other actions deemed inappropriate for a priest’.
However, at the time the commission allowed Kurashvili to retain his priesthood and assigned him as a priest at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral — something Kurashvili said was due to Patriarch Ilia II’s intervention on his behalf.
Kurashvili frequently appears at Tbilisi’s daily anti-government protests alongside like-minded clergy. After being removed from his parish leadership, the archimandrite said that from then his ‘pulpit’ would be Rustaveli Avenue, the centre of the daily demonstrations.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
