Tbilisi, May 12, 2014
His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia has declared May 17 a Day of family strength and honor for parents. He announced this at Holy Trinity Cathedral during the Sunday sermon on May 11, reports Gruzia Online.
The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church gave his blessing to serve paracleses in all churches on that day, and for all priests to go out and sprinkle houses, streets and people.
The premiere of the first Georgian film about homosexuals in the main cinema of the country, "Rustaveli" in the centre of Tbilisi, is scheduled for May 17 to mark the so-called "international day of war on homophobia".
Last year on this day in Tbilisi there was an attempt to arrange a gay pride parade, but in response to this 10,000 protesters went out to the city streets.
All these events are happening against the background of an anti-discrimination law passed by the Parliament early in May. The Holy Church at once raised its voice against it. None of the faithful will accept such a law, stated Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia.
It was probably the first case when the Patriarch sharply and openly accused the authorities of imposing western values on the Georgian people that are alien to them, noted the Georgian press.
