Georgian Patriarchate slams Council of Europe over ‘LGBT recommendations’

The Georgian Orthodox Church has issued a  statement criticising the latest recommendations of the Council of Europe, accusing them of “presenting a contradictory stance that undermines traditional values and risks alienating large segments of Georgian society.”

In the statement released by the Patriarchate on Monday, Church officials expressed concern over what they described as the “incompatible position” of supporting family traditions while also promoting legislative changes that would, in their view, weaken protections against what they term "LGBT propaganda" directed at minors.

“Unfortunately, the latest recommendations of the Council of Europe openly present an incompatible position: on the one hand, support for family traditions and the protection of adolescents from LGBT propaganda, and on the other, the prospect of the country’s aspiration towards Europe,” the statement read. “This causes disappointment among a large part of the Georgian population.”

The Patriarchate noted that Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, has consistently maintained that Georgia’s path toward European integration “must not come at the expense of Christian values and teachings.” According to the Church, EU and Council of Europe representatives had previously assured Church leaders that promoting non-traditional lifestyles was not a condition for Georgia’s European aspirations.

“It was always clearly stated during meetings that the will of the Georgian people is to protect Christian and traditional family values,” the statement said, referencing past discussions between senior clergy and European diplomats. “If the process of EU integration demanded otherwise, those agreements would not have been reached.”

The Church also highlighted that laws aimed at protecting minors from exposure to what it called “non-traditional propaganda” had been widely supported by Georgia’s religious community, and had previously received praise from the Church itself.

The statement concluded by expressing regret over the Council of Europe’s current direction, warning that any perceived attempt to “erode traditional values could deepen public disillusionment with Georgia’s European path.”