Georgia Cannot Bypass Its Orthodox Church, and Europe Knows It
I told them and I told our Georgian political actors, there are some red lines that shouldn't be crossed. Do not forget that the interests of your country shouldn't be sacrificed for your own interests.
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.
Transcript
Asbed Bedrossian: All right, Archil, let's turn to a slightly different topic. In your article, Patriarch of the Family, Not Patriarch of Europe, You argue that the Georgian Orthodox Church will continue to defend the traditional understanding of family, religion, and national identity in Georgia. So the conflict with Europe, has this taken on a cultural aspect as well as a geopolitical one? And can Georgia remain politically European, so to speak, while rejecting part of Europe's social liberal model?
Archil Sikharulidze: Well, I think, let's start with your second question. I think it's up to Europe, actually. Once again, let's try to discuss what Georgians mean when they say we'd like to go to Europe. Economic prosperity, social prosperity, safety, and well-being. That is all. When we discussed a European future, we never talked about saying no to Georgian Orthodox Church, to rising up against Russia, trying to defeat Iran. So the whole idea of Georgians rejoining the European family was all about protecting our well-being in general. So when it comes to much more detailed discussions, we actually never had such discussions. No one ever asked Georgians, would you like to have the Church play the same role as it does in Germany,