Archbishop Zenon dismissed from leadership of the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland

By the order of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, the Archpriest of the Diocese of Dmanisi and Agarak-Tashiri, Great Britain and Ireland, Archbishop Zenon (Iarajuli) has been dismissed from the leadership of the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland of the Church of Georgia. The relevant statement was issued by the Patriarchate of Georgia.

According to the statement, the reason for the decision was the recent developments in the parish of Great Britain and Ireland.

"Due to public interest, I would like to inform you about the recent developments in the parish of Great Britain and Ireland.

By order of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, on November 15, 2022, in connection with the recent developments in the parish of Great Britain and Ireland, a meeting of the Synodal Commission of the Georgian Orthodox Church was held in the Patriarchate.

The commission discussed the above issue. In particular, it was said that on September 26 of this year, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia sent a letter to Archbishop Zenon with a request to come to Georgia in the near future, so that he could provide information about the situation.

Archbishop Zenon, on the pretext of scheduled business meetings, postponed his departure until November 10, although he did not arrive at the appointed time either for an unexplained reason and again postponed his arrival for an unknown period.

The commission considered this action of Archbishop Zenon inexcusable and, taking into account the difficult situation in the diocese, began to study the developments in the Great Britain and Ireland parish of the Georgian Church in his absence.

The members of the Holy Synod studied the situation in detail and considered that Archbishop Zenon should be dismissed from the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland of the Church of Georgia.

The commission's conclusion about the above was handed over to the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia”, reads the statement.