The Public Relations Service of the Patriarchate of Georgia has released information about a meeting between His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio III, and parents of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

According to the statement, it was decided that, at the initial stage, working-format meetings will be held with the participation of specialists.

The Patriarchate, the Patriarchal University Clinic, relevant field experts, and other interested parties will be involved in this work.

The meeting also emphasized the importance of effective communication and cooperation with relevant state institutions.

“Today, on May 19, 2026, His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia Shio III met with parents of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The meeting was attended by the Chancellor of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Metropolitan of Akhaltsikhe and Tao-Klarjeti Theodor (Chuaidze), Metropolitan of Alaverdi David (Makharadze), Metropolitan of Gori and Ateni Andria (Gvazava), Metropolitan of Zugdidi and Tsaishi Gerasime (Sharashenidze), Secretary of the Catholicos-Patriarch, Archpriest Mikheil Botkoveli, Head of the Patriarchate’s Public Relations Service, Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, General Director of the St. Joachim and Anna Medical Center of the Georgian Patriarchate Vepkhvia Odisharia, and others.

His Holiness and Beatitude listened to the problems shared by the parents regarding the challenges faced by children with Duchenne disease and their families. As noted at the meeting, the issue is not well studied in Georgia and requires more attention and coordinated work at medical, social, and institutional levels.

For this purpose, it was decided that, at the initial stage, working-format meetings will be held with the participation of specialists. The Patriarchate, the Patriarchal University Clinic, relevant experts, and other interested parties will be involved in this work. It was also emphasized that effective communication and cooperation with relevant state institutions is of particular importance.

The process aims to study more deeply the needs of children with Duchenne disease and their families, and to identify possible ways that will in the future support them and ensure their needs are met,” the statement said.