Metropolitan of the diocese of Bodbe father Jacob came into open confrontation with the leading Georgian doctors, who urged citizens not to go to Church on Easter night, to avoid a surge of coronavirus, the correspondent of the newspaper LOOK in Tbilisi.
Part of the Georgian clergy and flock, notwithstanding the curfew that operates from 21.00 (20.00 GMT) to 6.00 am, intends to ignore the appeals of the doctors and father Jacob became the de facto leader of the rebellion.
He said the position of physicians as “unacceptable”, saying that in the Church people come “ill doctors to heal”.
According to the Metropolitan, doctors “need to apologize” before the congregation of churches for the calls not to go at Easter in the churches.
The Confessor said that leading doctors themselves should get the help of psychoanalysts, “not to sow panic among the people”.
Father Jacob also warned that the leaders of the National centre for disease control, “let not dare to face him on the street.”
According to him, the authorities threatened with dismissal employees of state institutions, if they go to Church on Easter.
“we’ll see who gets (fired),” said the Metropolitan.
Earlier, the head of the Georgian National centre for disease control Amiran Gamkrelidze called on the population not to go at Easter in the Church, so as not to cause a surge of the epidemic of the coronavirus.
“Pray at home, spend this Easter in a different format, for us in the churches to pray for our spiritual fathers,” said he.
His Deputy Paata Imnadze warned that visiting churches, non-compliance with doctor’s recommendations will lead to the fact that “Georgia is like Italy, littered with coffins.”
It is noted that the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) is the most influential institution in Georgia. Government urged not to go to Church and shut down for the Easter holidays access to the cemetery. However, the government stated that it could not close the Church. Some priests supported the call not to come to Church on Easter to avoid diseases.
The congregation will have to consider the curfew, if they choose to violate the guidelines. For violation of the rules of the state of emergency in force in Georgia from the 21st of March, a penalty of 3 thousand lari ($960).
In Georgia, 385 patients with coronavirus, 44 were cured, three died.
Recent data on the situation of COVID-19 in Russia and the world presented on the portal stopmanager.of the Russian Federation.
