PM Gakharia: Churches Will Not Close

On Tuesday’s briefing, Prime Minister Gakharia addressed the question that has been formulating these days with the Orthodox Easter coming up this Sunday, saying that “the churches will not be closed.”

"I personally hope our citizens will show their wisdom. Why? Because enforcing the law and protecting public health is a direct obligation of the State, just like, for many of our respected believer citizens it is an existential issue to not close the Church and keep it functioning,” noted PM Gakharia. That being said, the Prime Minister still encouraged believers to stay home and not “force the Church to make a choice.”

“In this case, I am sure that a wise citizen will realize that he/she should not impose responsibility on the Church and should not wait for a call from the Church to not go to churches or a call from the State to break the law. This is a golden solution and I am sure each of our citizens will find the right solution. Of course, the government and I personally call on our citizens to stay at home, to protect our Church, and not to force the Church to make a choice”, the PM noted.

Georgian churches during the Easter celebration are especially crowded. Although the Georgian government has imposed many restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus, one of the latest being closing of the 4 of Georgia’s biggest cities, given many Georgians’ devotion to Christianity, this weekend might bring the country closer to its COVID-19 peak.

By Nini Dakhundaridze

Image source: Government.ge