A handful of clerics of the Georgian Orthodox Church have burned the flag of the European Union in protest of the nation’s bid to join the international movement. In this way, they also showed their solidarity with Lasha Sharukhia, who was sentenced to pre-trial detention for taking down and burning the EU flag at Mtskheta City Hall, writes Georgian News.

According to the source, the priests Genadi Gogilashvili and Iakob Mestvirishvili and the deacons Spyridon Tskipurishvili and Basil Akhvlediani are known to have burned the flag. In one video, Deacon Basil Akhvlediani says that, “for Christians, the flag of the European Union is a symbol of depravity.” Deacon Sypridon was suspended soon after the video appeared, though a statement from the Patriarchate clarified that it was not because he burned the EU flag, but because he slandered fellow clergy in one of his videos, which the statement notes violates a number of canons.

The European Council of the EU granted Georgia candidate status at its session earlier this month. His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II issued a statement welcoming the decision, with the hope that joining the EU will bring political stability to the country. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 29. Dezember 2023)