The Georgian Orthodox Church on Friday called for self-restraint and the avoidance of violence, following violent clashes outside the country’s Parliament in Tbilisi on Thursday evening.
Protesters were angry over the visit of Russian lawmaker Sergei Gavrilov, who was taking part in an Inter-parliamentary assembly on Orthodoxy – a body set up by the Greek parliament in 1993 to foster relations between Christian Orthodox lawmakers.
“We call on authorities to act, in a normal fashion, and to avoid violence. We call on the people to show good judgment,” a Patriarchate announcement read.