Georgia Cannot Bypass Its Orthodox Church, and Europe Knows It

Archil Sikharulidze addresses a deepening cultural and geopolitical conflict between Georgia and the European Union that goes well beyond traditional security or economic policy. The EU has made clear, both formally through accession directives and informally through pressure from Brussels officials, that Georgian membership requires the country to liberalize its social policies in ways that directly conflict with the role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in society. Specifically, Brussels demands that Georgia advance LGBTQ rights, same-sex family recognition, women’s quotas in parliament, and minority rights protections in ways that would necessarily diminish the church’s authority and cultural influence. Sikharulidze cites testimony from European officials who explicitly told Georgian religious leaders that unless they promote liberal social values, Georgia will never be accepted into the EU. This creates an impossible bind: Georgia’s European aspiration conflicts directly with its foundational cultural institution and values. Sikharulidze notes that the Georgian Orthodox Church has existed for 17 centuries and remains central to Georgian identity and national cohesion, especially during geopolitical crises. Georgians will never willingly subordinate the church to secular authority in the way Western Europe has done. The new Patriarch, Shio III, made this clear by rejecting the ‘Patriarch of Europe’ framing and instead positioning himself as the ‘Patriarch of Family,’ defending traditional values around gender, sexuality, and national identity. Sikharulidze argues that if the EU insists on this cultural realignment as a precondition for membership, Georgia faces a genuine dilemma: either abandon its values or abandon EU membership. Neither outcome is acceptable to most Georgians. This analysis reveals that EU expansion into Orthodox Christian regions is not simply a matter of security, democracy, or economics but a fundamental question about which civilization and value system will predominate. The church-state conflict, Sikharulidze suggests, is not peripheral but central to whether Georgian Dream and Brussels can ever achieve genuine partnership.