Georgian Church Refuses to Remove Icon Depicting Stalin

The icon, which shows Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin alongside St. Matrona of Moscow, who was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, has been moved to a new, more prominent location in Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral. Church leaders, in agreement with the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, have decided against removing the icon.

This decision comes amid protests from opposition and civil society representatives, as the icon has been installed on the central wall of the cathedral.