The Diocesan Commission of the Patriarchate of Georgia has appealed to His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, to relieve Archimandrite Dorote Kurashvili of his duties as head of the Church of the Nativity of Our Lord in Lower Bethlehem and reassign him to priestly service at the Holy Trinity Patriarchal Lavra. The appeal cites repeated non-compliance with the commission, insulting statements, and failure to appear for sessions without valid reasons.
Based on a statement from the Patriarchate, the Mtskheta-Tbilisi Diocesan Commission reviewed Archimandrite Kurashvili’s case during its session on October 29. He had previously been summoned on October 16 but failed to attend. When asked to appear again on October 29, he imposed the condition of attending only in the presence of media—a demand the commission deemed unprecedented and unacceptable. He did not attend, which was considered dishonorable.
The commission also noted that Archimandrite Kurashvili has made statements they described as insulting and defamatory toward church hierarchy and commission members, including claims that the church and state sought “sacrifice” and that external authorities had replaced Christ as the church’s superior.
The Diocesan Commission concluded that these actions constitute disciplinary and moral violations and are unbecoming of a priest and monk. They requested that Patriarch Ilia II remove Archimandrite Dorote Kurashvili from his post as head of the Lower Bethlehem Church as a disciplinary measure under Canon 74 of the Apostles and reassign him to the Holy Trinity Patriarchal Lavra.
Header image: Patriarchate of Georgia
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