“Let us demand that we move toward reconciliation, and if someone refuses, everyone will see who wants peace and who does not,” said the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bodbe, Metropolitan Iakob, during a sermon.

According to him, the government and the Church should work together to reconcile society.

“Let us do it this way - let the government and the Church at least call everyone and talk to them. For years we have been saying: let us reconcile, let us reconcile - and then someone jumps in, then someone else. Look at how people address one another. Let us demand reconciliation, and if someone does not go along with it, everyone will see who wants peace and who does not,” Metropolitan Iakob said.

He congratulated the government, the opposition, and protest participants on the Feast of Epiphany. As he noted, he genuinely does not know why people are running in the streets or what exactly they want.

“I congratulate our opposition, and those people who are running around in the streets. However, I truly do not know why they are running or what they want. But let it be so that we all do one great thing together - that we all do God’s Georgian work. Let no one claim that if it were not for us, nothing would exist. Georgian history did not begin now, nor in 2003, nor in 2012, nor will it begin in 2026. We are in a constant process. The main thing is that we Georgians have learned wisdom and no longer fight in other people’s wars. Let us stop devouring one another. Enough of this. We are moving forward well, but let us move forward correctly to the end, so that we do not fall into someone’s jaws. If you have no relations with anyone, someone will swallow you anyway - you will exist for a short time, and then neither the opposition nor any parliamentarian will be remembered,” he said.

According to Metropolitan Iakob, the Church always stands where the people need it.

“Let us extend a hand to one another. Look how divided we are now - you go somewhere and some people respect you, while others are frightened. Georgians cannot live like this. Let us fight the common enemy together, strengthen Georgia, and then sort out issues among ourselves. Would God or Saint Nino be pleased with such division among us? We did not get involved in wars, and now is the time not to harm one another, so that when the world’s redistribution begins, we do not end up in someone’s jaws. Let us be on good terms with one another, not be enemies, not run abroad asking others to help us. This is not right,” Metropolitan Iakob said.

He also emphasized the need to listen to and analyze one another’s views.

“Let us listen to each other. Let us not think that we are smarter than one another. Every Georgian is talented, and that is exactly our hardship - we are so talented that we do not like listening to others. We are only interested in our own opinion - ‘I am right,’ we say. Let us listen to each other,” Metropolitan Iakob concluded.