Russian Church Sends Priest to Serve in Tbilisi

The Russian Orthodox Church is to send a priest to Georgia to work in Tbilisi’s Church of St. John the Baptist and serve the Russian-speaking parish.

The Russian Patriarchate notes that after the decision was made by their Synod and was agreed with the Georgian side.

The Russian Orthodox Church will send Archpriest Vladimir Aleksandrov, who will also voice the positions of the Russian Patriarchate.

A number of Georgian theologians claim that the main aim of the arrival of a Russian priest in Georgia is to strengthen the influence of the Russian Church in the country, while others claim it is a normal practice which has been unchanged for years.

The Georgian Patriarchate says it sees nothing extraordinary in the decision of the Russian Church, noting that the exchange of priests is not in the interests of Russia or Georgia, but in the interests of the parishes in the two countries.

Michael Botkoveli, the Secretary of Georgia’s Catholicos-Patriarch, explained that Georgia also sent a priest from Georgia to Russia, who has been serving the Georgian parish in Moscow for two months already.

“We have sent our representatives to Moscow, so they have the right to send a priest here. There is no ground for panic,” he added.

By Thea Morrison

Photo: Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church

Source: mospat.ru