Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili was subjected to massive criticism from the Patriarchate and the country's authorities. During a speech in London, she stated that the situation in the Georgian Orthodox Church is complex and one of the main reasons for this is the weakness of the Patriarch. At the same time, Zurabishvili expressed the hope that “the Church will follow pro-Western rhetoric” and “will be able to elect a pro-Georgian and pro-European Patriarch, and not a pro-Russian one.”

“First of all, it is unethical for a president, especially one who considers herself a parishioner of the Church, to talk about the weakness of the current Patriarch and his replacement. Another thing is that this is gross interference in the affairs of the Church,” commented the head of the Patriarchate’s public relations service, Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, on Zurabishvili’s statement.

According to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, it is impossible to even comment on Zurabishvili’s statement about the Patriarchate. “This is unthinkable. She's hurting her image, not to mention anything else. I don’t want to make any more comments,” he shared.

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, in turn, said: “What our country, our nation stands on is our faith and culture. They are purposefully fighting against everything that is dear to the Georgian people in order to somehow harm, to throw dirt. This propaganda has been going on for years, but the Georgian people are wise and analyze the current situation and threats well."