TBILISI—Another Armenian church was vandalized in Georgia. This time it was St. Etchmiadzin church in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, which was consecrated by Catholicos Karekin II during his pontifical visit there.
On the evening of August 19, two young men, who were allegedly drunk, entered the Armenian church. Two employees called their behavior as arrogant and disrespectful, Armenia-based Yerkir Media television reported.
One of them started to turn the pages of the Holy Bible placed on the sanctuary tearing off one of the pages. He also sat down on a chair that is meant for high-ranking church officials. The employees finally kicked out of the church but not before the two assailants tore down an announcement on the door and lit it on fire.
Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan said the church had contacted law enforcement. The Diocese of the Armenian Church in Georgia also plans to appeal to Georgia’s Interior Ministry and other structures and file a protest to the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Mirzakhanyan attributed the young people’s behavior to recent amendments made to Georgian law that providing the Armenian Church the ability for apply for legal status. The legislation sparked anti-Armenian sentiments.
The Diocese of Georgia plans to issue a statement about the incident. Georgia’s human rights ombudsman has also been informed.
A month ago, unknown assailants painted anti-Armenian graffiti near the St. Etchmiadzin Church.
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Wild and savage Georgians are no different from Turks, Mongols or Tatars. I wasn’t surprised when I read that they lit something on fire. Lighting something on fire is the culmination of destroying and vandalizing. Turks and Azeri Tatars love to light things on fire. Animals.
IT seems Georgians are not able simply to enjoy the beauty of there land and be happy being surrounded with less enemies as it is the case with Armenia!
… Vandalized in Georgia. Armenian churchs in Georgia: NO surprise even the former president of Georgia -Eduard Shevardnadze -has joined the chauvinists and other racist groups within Georgian church and society and carrying active anti Armenian propaganda- showing his real face! These people are accusing current president of Georgia – Mikheil Saakashvili – having of Armenian origin and anti Georgian- ignoring the very simple fact: If Eduard Shevardnadze were the president of Georgia today, for sure Batumi/Ajar were a second Abkhazia – and independent the same could be say about Armenian populated regions of Georgia!!
Georgian church and people like -Eduard Shevardnadze & Co have become a source of chauvinism and promoting racism and hatred against Armenians in Georgian and Armenian people!
It’s amazing how much duplicity and prejudice Georgians have shown their Christian Armenian neighbors. Superficially they talk about “brotherhood” and “shared pasts” but beneath the facade, they harbor a deep seed of hate, jealousy, and malicious motives to see Armenia go down (which will never happen, the Armenian people will make sure of this bot inside and outside Armenia).
Now with Azerbaijan flashing some money from their 15 minutes of glory oil revenues, the Georgians are ready to sell them their souls along with their skirts. It was this very same lack of political loyalty that got them in deep trouble with Russia and lost them Osetia/Abkazia. If they were a bit more humble and a bit more loyal their traditional regional allies, they would have had proper support in their time of need. They got played by US/EU big empty promises.
Certainly Russia also has its own interests in mind and every nation is only as loyal as its own interests extend, but in this political cilmate, you simply don’t turn you back completely on your close neighbor the way Georgia has done. Their behaviour is akin to Mexico burning Canadian flags and asking Russia to help them while declaring war on the US. Stupidity at best.
Despite our differences, Armenia has been a fairly good neighbor to Georgia beyond simply sharing religious commonalities, we will see where all of this secret hate and malice against Armenians and the Armenian nation will get them. We will see . . . .
Way to go Georgia, keep on tagging those satan worshipping structures. Long live Georgia and down with Armenian racism, land demands and imperalism!
Oh Please! Those two guys who vandalized it were probably Armenian Georgians.
Oh if life is SO BAD for Amrenian Georgians who do they continue to live in Tbilisi? Yerevan is not that far from Tbilisii.
It shocks me to see Georgia behave so destructively but then what should I expect from a nation whose only contributions to world civilization was Stalin and Peria. I say Abkhazia, Ajaria and Zhavakhia deserve nothing less but a liberation from these peculiarly immature and reckless people.