Saturday, January 24, 2026

Patriarch Ilia II

Georgia’s Orthodox Church disciplines outspoken cleric

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TBILISI, December 15 – Georgia’s Orthodox Church has suspended the rights of Father Dorote, a well-known cleric, to conduct priestly services. The decision quickly drew cricism from former president Salome Zourabichvili. The Patriarchate’s public relations service said Monday that Dorote, a cleric at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, has been stripped of the right to perform … Read more

Georgian Orthodox Church raises concern over EU recommendations

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Orthodox Church has expressed serious concern about recent EU recommendations, warning they contradict verbal and written assurances made during earlier talks with Georgia’s religious leadership. According to a statement released by the Patriarchate, the Church is alarmed by proposed demands that Georgia repeal legislation “on the protection of the sanctity of the … Read more

A PM who recently resigned is Georgia's most popular politician

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TBILISI, DFWatch–A recently retired prime minister is one of Georgia’s most popular politicians, according to a new survey published by the International Republican Institute (IRI) on Monday. Giorgi Gakharia, who resigned in February citing disagreement with his party colleagues over the detention of UNM leader Nika Melia, is liked by 65% ​​of respondents, far more … Read more

Cleric 'forcefully removed' from Holy Synod after 'indecent' accusation against Georgia's Patriarch

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TBILISI, DFWatch–A session of the Holy Synod in Tbilisi has shocked the entire nation, as one of its members accused the spiritual leader and most popular person in the country, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, of “pederasty”. The accusation was so obscene and sudden that the dozens of journalists awaiting the results of the meeting outside of … Read more

Georgian priest sentenced to nine years in prison for murder attempt

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TBILISI, DFWatch–A Tbilisi court on Tuesday sentenced a high ranking cleric to nine years in prison for trying to kill the patriarch’s personal secretary with poison. The case has sent shock waves through Georgian society and revealed divisions within one

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Murder plot against Georgian patriarch allegedly revealed

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Edisher Karchava, lawyer for the Georgian Church
 Edisher Karchava. (ambebi.ge)

TBILISI, DFWatch–A lawyer for the Georgian church claimed on Monday that there is a plot to assassinate the head of the church, involving high-level clerics.

One of the clerics implicated in the attempt on Patriarch’s life is Metropolitan Petre Tsaava, according to

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Prosecutors release secret videos in the Georgia’s church poisoning case

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jajri-tsiklauri
Prosecutor Jarji Tsiklauri at the briefing. (POG.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia on Wednesday presented its theory of how a priest allegedly was planning to murder an adviser to Patriarch Ilia II, backing the allegations up by secretly obtained videos.

The central part of the evidence

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Patriarch's head of security resigns, citing 'intrigues'

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patriarch_ilia_and_soso_okhanashvili2
Patriarch Ilia II and Soso Okhanashvili. (Tabula.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–In the latest twist in the scandal about an alleged assassination plot within the Georgian Church, the head of the patriarch’s security detail confirmed Sunday that he has resigned from his post.

“I went to his holiness… [and] asked for his blessing to left the position,”

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