Georgian Patriarchate refutes Russian intelligence claims about Constantinople's interference in the election of a new Patriarch

A representative of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) has rejected accusations by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) against Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople about allegedly preparing to interfere in the internal affairs of the GOC and the process of electing the future Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

According to Orthodoxia News Agency, Protopresbyter Andrea Jagmaidze, head of the Georgian Patriarchate’s public relations service, called such speculations «unthinkable.» According to him, any interference by another Local Church in the affairs of Georgian Orthodoxy is considered impossible. Jagmaidze also noted that the grounds for such information throw-ins are unknown, thus actually disavowing the data of Russian sources.

The conflict erupted after the Russian SVR made a harsh statement accusing the Ecumenical Patriarch of pursuing an «insidious policy of dividing the world Orthodoxy» according to the principle of «divide and rule». According to Russian intelligence, Constantinople allegedly intends to take advantage of the future change of leadership in the Russian Orthodox Church to promote loyal hierarchs to the patriarchal throne. In particular, the SVR statement mentioned Bishop Abraham (Garmelia) of Western Europe and Metropolitan Grigori (Berbichashvili) of Poti and Khoba as candidates on whom the Phanar allegedly counts.

The Georgian Church stresses that the internal procedures for the election of hierarchs are protected from external influence, and the information about «favorites» of Constantinople has no real basis.

Earlier we reported that the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation made a statement about the plans of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to interfere in the internal affairs of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC).