The Georgian Orthodox Church and the Ministry of Culture will establish a working group to protect cultural heritage

Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III of All Georgia and Georgian Minister of Culture Tinatin Rukhadze agreed to establish a joint working group for the protection and restoration of church sites. According to Orthodox Times, the initiative was announced during an official meeting at the Patriarchal Residence on July 21 of this year.

The group’s objective will be to promptly plan and carry out restoration work in churches and monasteries under the Patriarchate’s administration. The new body will include representatives from relevant departments of the Georgian Orthodox Church as well as officials from the Ministry of Culture. The group’s program of activities will be approved shortly with the Patriarch’s blessing.

The meeting was attended by key church hierarchs, including Metropolitan David (Maharadze) of Alaverdi, who oversees matters of architecture and art, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Culture and the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. The parties expressed their readiness to cooperate closely to preserve Georgia’s national heritage.

It should be recalled that earlier, representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church issued a high-profile statement accusing the European Union leadership of exerting pressure regarding the promotion of same-sex marriage in the country. According to church leaders, European diplomats openly asked the clergy to help promote the LGBT agenda among the population.