Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze: Metropolitan Ioane has not degraded the Jewish people

According to the head of the public relations department of the Patriarchate, Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, Metropolitan Ioane has not degraded the Jewish people. According to him, the Metropolitan met with the Israeli ambassador and talked about the issue.

"Metropolitan Ioane made a detailed explanation about it. He has not degraded the Jewish people. He only meant the groups, the part of society that always try to cast some shadow over the church.

He did not call them "persecutors of Christians", but quoted historical words of a saint. For those who want to understand it correctly, he provided detained explanations. He also met with the Israeli ambassador to Georgia," - said Jaghamaidze.

According to Ambassador of Israel to Georgia, Ran Gidor, on Monday 4th January, Ilia Karkadze, a deacon at the Trinity Cathedral in Kutaisi, spewed several antisemitic conspiracy theories which were reminiscent of some of the worst blood-libels and anti-Jewish hate propaganda of 1930s Europe. He said Karkadze’s antisemitic speech was made merely two weeks after Ioane Gamrekeli, the Metropolitan of the Kutaisi-Gaenati Diocese and a member of the Holy Synod, had delivered his own highly controversial and problematic sermon, parts of which could have been interpreted as anti-Semitic.