The head of the Public Relations Department of the Patriarchate of Georgia, Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, stated on the air of the sanctioned Imedi TV channel that in 2023, “EU representatives” asked the Georgian Patriarchate to help promote same-sex marriage in the country.
The spokesperson for the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) stated that this request was made by the then Belgian Foreign Minister and current European Commissioner for Equality, Hadja Lahbib.
Jagmaidze said that during the meeting, the European politician stated that Georgia is lagging behind modern trends because its society does not accept same-sex marriage, and asked the Patriarchate, which enjoys great authority in society, to help promote them.
In response, the archpriest cited a widely discussed case where, he claimed, a transgender athlete beat a female boxer during a competition, leaving her with severe injuries. He stated that such incidents are a consequence of the “LGBT agenda.”
The head of the Public Relations Department commented on the European Parliament resolution mentioning the GOC. He noted that he considers it a consequence of the failed policy of European structures towards the GOC, which, in his opinion, contributes to the growth of anti-European sentiment in the country.
Jagmaidze added that after that meeting with the European official, representatives of European structures did not visit the Georgian Patriarchate for a long time. However, after the election of the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III, contacts with diplomatic missions were resumed.