Bishop Iakob of Bodbe stated during a sermon that the death of the Patriarch of Georgia reminded everyone of the need for unity and that now is not the time to let divisions arise.

As Bishop Iakob emphasized, the Patriarch deeply desired the unity of the Georgian people and loved Georgia above all else on earth.

“The death of the Patriarch of Georgia was needed for us to unite. Today, let us not do anything to divide ourselves. The Patriarch wanted the unity of Georgians very much. There was nothing and no one on this earth that he loved more than Georgia. For him, Georgia was everything, a gift entrusted by the Mother of God. He did not seek personal glory; he would quietly and calmly give guidance. He carried everything close to his heart. He bore the burden of our sins and the harm we caused—he went through a lifetime of that pain. He saw God, he felt God’s love. I remember during the pandemic, we discussed what needed to be done. Together, the Church made decisions unanimously. It was almost against the devil and the world at that time. You are the children of this nation, children of God, friends of God—every Georgian. Let us reflect on how we live,” Bishop Iakob said.

He called on the faithful to remain calm, emphasizing that “no other forces will interfere with God.”

“Be calm, our Church is in reliable hands. Who benefits from the strength of the Church? Certainly not the evil one. He fights to make us turn against each other, and if we fall into that, it is easy to destroy us. We, as the Church, are a force that will not allow this to happen inside or outside. Everyone should stay away—I say this clearly—because we will not let any other forces interfere with God. Everything will be fine; we just need to go through these days with Christ. If we love the Patriarch, show that love by showing God. What did the Patriarch teach Georgians? He always said, ‘God is with us.’ We too must see God, listen to God, and follow God. We are the people of Christ. Let us be careful and calm these days,” he added.

During the sermon, Bishop Iakob also stressed the importance of listening to and caring for the younger generation. “Young people see best what is happening and how it is happening,” he said.