There is spread the misbelief that after making some amendments to the “Anti-Discrimination" bill it became acceptable to the Church. The Patriarchate of Georgia does not support the new version of the bill, because we had no opportunity to review its latest version. Some conversations and few statements by clerics do not lead the Church to jump to conclusions on such a serious issue.

Negative aspects of the original bill submitted to the Parliament were clearly visible, but now the situation has changed and the bill requires a more serious study and conclusions of experts (lawyers, psychologists and the experts on international law).

We are grateful to the prime minister of Georgia, as he understood the caution on the part of the Church, but at the same time, we would like to note that in this case, the Church defends and protects not only the clergy, but also the interests and rights of the Orthodox believers and the population of Georgia (regardless of their religious beliefs) for whom the defense of moral standards is a vital necessity.