Archbishop Peter Asks to Summon Grand Meeting
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, January 4
Chkondidi Metropolitan and Archbishop Peter say there is a need to summon Grand Meeting as the “sittings of the Holy Synod do not bring any outcomes.”
"Many unanswered questions remain After Synod meetings. The problems are not eliminated or solved but sometimes they even get more complicated. This, of course, points to a crisis situation. Since the Synod sessions cannot solve the existing problems, a large ecclesiastical meeting must be organized," he told Rustavi 2.
On December 28 Metropolitan Peter criticized Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II, saying at the Holy Synod meeting when he raised the issue of so-called Cyanide case, which involves Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze, sentenced for nine years in prison for attempted murder of the patriarch’s female secretary, Ilia II concluded the meeting.
“I want all the nation to know that when at last I went to the microphone and started talking about the Cyanide case, the patriarch turned to the icon of Virgin Mary and read the pray of concluding the meeting,” Metropolitan Peter says, who does not believe Giorgi Mamaladze really attempted murder.
The Metropolitan believes that the Holy Synod should set up a special commission which will study Mamaladze’s issue, as the case has already been discussed by all instance courts and the imprisoned cleric was even refused a pardon by the President’s Pardon Commission.
Metropolitan Peter was harshly criticized by the archbishop Jacob for making statements about the Patriarch.
The Archbishop said he would not “let anyone affect patriarch’s dignity,” adding he [Peter] would not “get away with such behavior.”
“I can say my own word in the Church. I will not let anyone cover him [Peter]. I do not want to specify now but I could give him a good lesson,” Archbishop Jacob said.
Metropolitan Peter says that Archbishop Jacob’s statements are not in line with the speech of a cleric.
“The bishop spoke very inadequately, both, in terms of clerical and secular understanding. As for his threats towards me, I am not afraid of them,” he noted.
