Georgian Patriarchate Calls for Review of Icon Depicting Stalin

The Georgian Patriarchate has called for the reworking of the icon depicting Joseph Stalin that was donated to Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral of Samtavro. This was reported by the press service of the Georgian Patriarchate.

It is proposed to remove the image of the Soviet leader due to the fact that its depiction has caused "controversial discussions and confrontations, which have also taken on a peculiar patriotic subtext," and the icon itself has become "a subject of baseless offensive actions," leading to "tension in society."

At the same time, the Patriarchate points out that icons can depict not only saints but also any individuals related to their lives, including political figures. The statement emphasizes that, nevertheless, Stalin's meeting with Saint Matrona is not included in his canonical texts due to "insufficient evidence," hence "the mentioned episode should be changed."

"Since Stalin's meeting with Saint Matrona... is not recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church, which canonized him and conducted a special study on this issue, it is necessary to modify the mentioned episode and consider other details related to the canonical nature of the icon," the Patriarchate highlighted.

They believe that changes should be made by those who donated the icon to the cathedral; otherwise, the church "will do it independently." The fact that the icon had appeared at Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral became known on January 6, after former Georgian parliament member Giorgi Kandelaki posted a video of the icon on his Facebook page. The next day, it was revealed that the icon had been donated by the