Georgians not going to Hagiopolite conference about Ukraine

Tbilisi, February 17 (Interfax) - Georgian Orthodox Church said it has decided not to take part in a meeting between the primates of local Orthodox Churches in Jordan on February 26, proposed by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem to discuss problems faced by the Orthodox world.

The reason the Georgian Church decided not to attend the meeting is that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and representatives of some other Churches will not be taking part in it, the patriarchate said.

Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, the head of the Georgian Patriarchate's public relations service, published the patriarchate's letter to Theophilos III explaining the reasons behind its decision not to attend the meeting in Amman on social media on Monday.

The Georgian Patriarchate said that, while it fully agreed with the objectives Theophilos III was pursuing in arranging the meeting, particularly the preservation of unity and resolution of problems existing in the Orthodox world, it believed such an event should be attended by all Orthodox Churches.

As long as no such unity is achieved, the Georgian Patriarchate prefers not to travel to Jordan, the letter says.