Khashuri, Georgia, November 28, 2022
Screenshot from imedi.ge
Two men have been arrested in connection with the shocking attack on a monastery in central Georgia last week.
The perpetrators, 39 and 27-years-old, broke into the Tskhramukhi Monastery of the Diocese of Surami and Khashuri on Friday, intending to commit robbery. However, the abbess and nuns resisted and were physically attacked, reports primetime.ge, citing confirmation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
One nun, 70 years old, was hospitalized with multiple injuries, and the two men were later picked up on charges of robbery and rape, which provide for up to 13 years in prison.
The nun suffered a concussion but is in stable condition, according to the local hierarch, His Grace Bishop Simeon.
Bp. Simeon said the attack was the result of the negative influence of people who are ill-disposed towards the Church.
“There have been attacks on the Church, on me and many of the clergy, and the results weren’t long in coming,” he said in a sermon. “This is what hate speech in Georgia has led to. Georgians have become opponents of the Church…”
A similar statement was also made by Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, head of the Patriarchate’s press service, who blamed various media outlets and “theologians” of an anti-Church bent, whose constant attacks on the Church and the clergy give the impression that such actions are acceptable.
Conversely, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria rejected Fr. Andria’s statement, saying it could be the cause of violence against journalists.
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