“Georgia has lost a spiritual father, our Holy Patriarch, who dedicated every minute and second of his life to serving Christ, protecting the homeland, and caring for his flock,” wrote the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, on social media.

According to him, he believes that “through his heavenly prayers and blessing, we - both clergy and laity, our beloved homeland, every Georgian, and our Mother Church, for whose revival he worked throughout his life - will continue to be blessed.”

“Georgia has lost a spiritual father, our Holy Patriarch, who dedicated every moment of his life to serving Christ, defending the homeland, and caring for his flock. His Holiness, Patriarch Ilia II, led the 2,000-year-old Georgian Church for half a century. He rekindled true faith among the Georgian people from the darkness of atheism and fading embers, and through his labor and prayers revived our Church.

In the hardest moments of hopelessness and despair, it was he who bore the weight of the cross. He was a comfort and an intercessor for a nation in distress. He was far more to us than the head of the Church.

Our Patriarch has joined the ranks of the righteous in Heavenly Georgia, alongside our heroic ancestors, and his legacy and words will continue to live among our people. We are his generation - baptized, blessed, and guided by him.

I believe that through his heavenly prayers and blessing, we - clergy and laity alike, our homeland he so dearly loved, every Georgian, and our Mother Church - will continue to be blessed, for whose revival he devoted his entire life,” wrote Shalva Papuashvili.

For reference, His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, passed away at the age of 93.