Clergy and believers of the Georgian Orthodox Church held a rally in support of the UOC in Tbilisi

On June 27, 2024, clergy and believers of the Georgian Orthodox Church held a rally in support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The protesters called for stopping the pressure on the UOC and releasing illegally detained clergy and believers from prisons. The event took place in Tbilisi in front of the embassy of the European Union. This is reported by the publication «SPUTNIK. Georgia.»

It is reported that the action in support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was joined by clergymen and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as representatives of public and political organizations. Georgian politician Jondi Bagaturia emphasized that the current Ukrainian government is engaged in open persecution of Orthodoxy and clergy. According to him, several metropolitans have been detained for refusing to betray the true church. He also noted the EU’s silence on these persecutions.

After the prayer service for the persecuted brethren in Ukraine, Archpriest David Isakadze, a priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church, addressed the audience with a word of sermon. He compared what is happening with the events in Georgia in the 20-30s, calling it «ordinary fascism and persecution of the Orthodox Church».

It is worth noting that representatives of the local Orthodox Churches regularly speak in support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We recently reported that a rally in support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was held in the Slovak capital Bratislava. Orthodox Slovaks and Ukrainians who gathered under the walls of the Ukrainian embassy demanded that the pressure on the UOC be stopped and that hierarchs, clergy and believers be released from prison.