Georgia’s ex-president Zourabichvili criticises Patriarchate over suspension of cleric

Georgia’s former President Salome Zourabichvili has criticised the Georgian Patriarchate’s decision to suspend Archimandrite Dorothe Kurashvili from clerical duties, saying it “shames the Georgian Church and its centuries-long struggle for freedom and independence”.

In a post on social media, Zourabichvili said she would join a gathering on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue in support of the cleric.

“I am going to Rustaveli to support Archimandrite Dorothe and to express my solidarity,” she wrote.

“The decision of the Patriarchate shames the Georgian Church and its centuries-long struggle for freedom and independence. I will never believe that the Patriarch agrees with injustice”, she added.

Earlier, the Georgian Patriarchate announced that Kurashvili’s right to perform priestly duties had been suspended, citing repeated violations of ecclesiastical ethics despite prior warnings.