“As long as we have unity with God, there is unity in the Church — do not try to break this unity in any way, otherwise those who attempt it will face consequences,” said Bishop Iakob of Bodbe during his sermon.

According to him, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II has left behind a very strong team that knows how to govern the Church.

“The Most Holy Patriarch left behind a very strong team. We know how to manage the Church. Ask us what concerns us. Very often you ask us for things that are not your responsibility. Do not distract us from our direct duties; otherwise, we will go through this together with you. Do not scatter our strength. We must walk together; this is an extremely difficult period, and we must go through it together.

As long as we have unity with God, there is unity in the Church. Do not try to break this unity in any way; whoever tries will face consequences. Do we wish harm on anyone? No one,” Bishop Iakob said.

He also spoke during his sermon about the selection of Shio III as Patriarch, noting that the Catholicos is chosen by the Holy Spirit.

“Elections were held among us. You saw that there were different opinions. The numbers are not important; what matters is that there were different views, but what happened — we all accepted as God’s will what the majority decided, because it was guided by the Holy Spirit, and our Most Holy Patriarch was also chosen by the Holy Spirit.

We all participated — some voted for one, some for another — but in the end, we all recognize that he is the true head of our Church today. If you look at the media, those who think they are believers should see how things were among us and how dignifiedly the Church came through this.

Sometimes we speak about things that are not our responsibility; we do not understand them, we lack spiritual insight. Life wisdom is one thing, divine wisdom is completely different. Criticism began over the rules — for example, why there is a 70-year age limit, or why higher education is required. Should bishops really be uneducated? In the end, during the election we were all seeking God’s will. No one could claim to know God’s will. Our Patriarch would not have dictated what only the Holy Spirit can decide.

So we had to discern whom God wanted. Fifteen people could participate; nine eventually withdrew. Six remained, then three. In the end, there are no losers — the Church won, because what matters is that we understood God’s will. When you understand and follow God’s will, nothing is greater than that.

Everyone was worthy. Do you think it was about someone wanting the Patriarchate? Everyone simply did not want to go against God’s will. Why is there a 70-year limit? Why is a diploma required? We were all questioning this. I love those bishops very much — even more after what happened.

The candidates for Patriarch passed their test. There was a requirement of 70 years and a diploma, but people asked: ‘Why? Isn’t he worthy? Isn’t he worthy even without a diploma?’ But look — just as Adam and Eve failed their test, the members of our Synod passed theirs. We understood it was by divine providence. You are in God’s hands. Divine wisdom prevailed, not human opinions.

When Patriarch Shio received the insignia, even those who were candidates handed them over with joy. We are brothers, especially as we were all ordained by one person. Christ teaches us nothing else. We do not fight for supremacy in this world. Often, governments see the Church as a competitor for power, but the Georgian Church does not participate in that, because we follow Christ’s path. Earthly glory means nothing to most of us. The Church has passed this test together with the people,” Bishop Iakob said.