Georgian Orthodox Church supports ban on LGBT propaganda in the country

On October 4, 2024, the Georgian Orthodox Church issued an official statement supporting the law adopted in Georgia that bans LGBT propaganda. The Church hopes that this law will be an important step in protecting the family and the well-being of society. The official website of the Georgian Patriarchate reports that.

“Today in Georgia, as in many countries of the world, the protection of family values has become an important task. Over the years, both the Georgian Patriarchate and the majority of the population have responded to this issue, each serving to protect family values in the face of growing challenges. The Church of Georgia has consistently protected and is protecting our youth from ideologies that undermine traditional family structures,” — the statement said.

The Georgian Patriarchate drew attention to the fact that earlier in the country’s educational institutions started distributing literature with LGBT ideology propaganda, which caused criticism in both the Church and secular society. In this regard, the GOC considers the adopted law to be timely.

“Several years ago, textbooks for students and teachers of school subjects caused sharp and fair criticism of the Patriarchate of Georgia, as some topics of these textbooks openly emphasized the decline of family values. It took a long and active effort to remove passages containing LGBTQ propaganda from educational resources, as educational textbooks should be consistent with our fundamental values. Furthermore, the proliferation of LGBTQ propaganda has often created significant social divisions in society and has even become a tool of tension in the hands of those who seek to deepen polarization. Based on these trends, the law “On Family Values and Protection of Minors” adopted by the current government of Georgia is a positive step forward”, — noted the GOC.

Earlier we reported that the hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, Bishop of Balti and Falesti Markell, was sentenced by the court to pay compensation for causing moral damage to representatives of the LGBT community in Moldova. The bishop was sued for calling homosexuals “sodomites”, “lost” and “sinners” on the eve of the Solidarity March in 2022.