In honor of the memory of the Patriarch, we call upon ourselves to protect what he so faithfully defended - the national and religious identity of our country, - Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest.

According to Kobakhidze, the death of His Holiness is deeply personal for the Georgian people, because he "filled the hearts of people with love and himself received great love from the people."

“I would like to begin my speech by honoring the memory of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness Ilia II, who passed away three days ago. He made Christian ideals an eternal force for the Georgian people. Today, all of Georgia is united in mourning. The passing of His Holiness, who led the Georgian Orthodox Church for 48 years, is deeply personal for us, because he filled the hearts of people with love and himself received great love from people. He led Georgia with unwavering devotion to the traditions and Christian morality. Beyond his spiritual leadership, the Patriarch also became a beacon of state wisdom. During his service, the Church was not only a religious institution, it was also the guardian of Georgian statehood and national identity. In honor of the memory of the Patriarch, we call upon ourselves to protect what he himself so faithfully defended - the national and religious identity ​​​​of our country,” Kobakhidze said.