Georgian Parliament official claims USAID, NED, EU-linked foundations backed campaigns insulting Georgian Orthodox Church

Levan Machavariani, the first deputy chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Saturday characterised the ongoing attacks on Metropolitan Shio Mujiri, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, as part of a broader ultra-left, pseudo-liberal ideological campaign, recalling that similar efforts, often funded by USAID, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and European Union foundations, had directly insulted the Patriarchate, the clergy, and the late Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II.

In his remarks, Machavariani claimed that despite such attempts, public unity around national identity and religious leadership has remained strong.

“This is the agenda of ultra-left, pseudo-liberal ideology. We have seen many very bad cases where there were direct campaigns funded by USAID, NED, and European Union funds, in which they directly insulted the Patriarchate, the clergy, and our His Holiness. However, these forces saw how united the nation is when it comes to our identity, and especially when it comes to our His Holiness”, he said.

The official further noted that previous efforts to discredit the Patriarchate failed, and the current campaign against Metropolitan Shio was unlikely to produce different results.

“Of course, these forces are fighting against Metropolitan Shio because he was named and distinguished by the Patriarch. Accordingly, they are now trying to discredit him; however, just as they achieved nothing in relation to our His Holiness, they will achieve nothing in relation to Metropolitan Shio either”, Machavariani concluded.