Der Metropolit von Rustawi, Atanase Tschachwaschili, hat sich am orthodoxen Karfreitag in einem Brief an den baptistischen Bischof Malchaz Songuschwili für die Ausfälle entschuldigt, die er in einem TV-Interview vom vergangenen Februar gegenüber religiösen Minderheiten gemacht hatte. In dem Interview hatte der orthodoxe Kirchenführer die Übergriffe des exkommunizieren orthodoxen Priesters Basil Mkalawischwili gegen Baptisten und Zeugen Jehovahs verteidigt und allen religiösen Sekten, darunter auch Baptisten und Anglikanern, den Tod angedroht. Nachfolgend veröffentlichen wir in einer englischen Version, die uns die Baptistische Kirche von Georgien zur Verfügung gestellt hat, den Wortlaut des Briefes sowie Auszüge aus einer Mitschrift des berüchtigten Interviews.

The Eparchy of Rustavi

To His Exellancy Lord Malkhaz Songulashvili
From the Mitropoliten Athanase of Rustavi

To the Primate of the Evangelical Baptist Church
Lord Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili

You who have been chosen by Christ as a real spiritual teacher, my lord,
my hero, holy and great man, one of the leaders of the great church (80 million).

Lord Malkhaz,

May God grant you long life to celebrate bright Easter along with your community here in Georgia and around the world.

Christ is Risen!

May the resurrected Christ grant us his love.

Wishing long life to you and desiring yours blessing,

+Mitropolitan Athanase of Rustavi,

Rustavi, 2003

P.S. I have never been against your holy church. If I have attacked you insignificantly I have also repented them. I am bringing my apologies before you even now.

Ausschnitte aus dem TV-Interview des Metropoliten vom 10. Februar 2002

"We do not want it in a peaceful way. We have to express it by the war. No peaceful means, no peaceful means will help it. They are crazy sect."

"Mkalavishvili does it in a heroic way. I praise his priesthood. He has not been kicked out by us. I do not kick him out. I am what I am in Georgia. I do not kick him out, I am giving him a reward, you know!"

"No sect, no Jehova`s Witnesses, no Baptists, no sectarians, no Anglicans, no Protestants, no Quantocostals(!?), no Pentecostals. We need no sects. We are pure Orthodox nation of the Calcedonian confession."

"Somebody is saying to Mkalavishvili, the Institute of Liberty, somebody crazy: `you have destroyed our computers and some things`. You should destroy not only their computers: They have to be shot to death. Had it been it in the old time I would have thrown them in jail."

"We should not tolerate it. No ideological peacefulness is acceptable. We should fight. We should kill all of them. That is it!"