– – –

On March 31, 2016, the ordinary sitting of the Interreligious Council was held. The Council took the following statement:
“With regard to the constitutional amendments initiated at the supreme legislative body of the country, we would like to declare:

1. Defining marriage to be the union of the man and the woman in the Constitution should be the prerogative of the state.
2. International legislative acts consider the marriage to be the union of the man and the woman. For instance, Universal declaration of Human Rights (Article 16), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 23), European Convention on Human Rights (Article 12).
3. Constitutions of many EU member states, for example, constitutions of Hungary (Article L), Poland (Article 18), Bulgaria (Article 47), Lithuania (Article 38), Latvia (Article 110), and others include the definition of marriage.

In view of the above we, religious unions of Georgia consider that:

• Clear definition of marriage in the Constitution of Georgia is the interest of all main and traditional religious unions of Georgia and this interest coincides  with the viewpoints of the majority of the country’s population, regardless their ethnicity or religion;
• Clear definition of marriage in the constitution will clear the doubts of the large parts of the country’s population with regard to Georgia’s European choice; respectively, the nihilism in this regard will be reduced, which unfortunately takes place in Georgia last time;
• Implementing the above initiative will eradicate tensions among the population, reduce the risks of violence and prevent certain incidents with regard to sexual minorities.

The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church

Religious Community of Jews

Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia

The Georgian Muslim Department

Evangelic Lutheran Church

Yazidi Religious Council.