His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, Shio III, received the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon.

As stated in the information released by the Patriarchate’s press service, the meeting took place on 16 August. According to the information, an important part of the meeting was devoted to discussion of Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III’s upcoming visit to Constantinople.

“The meeting was attended by the Chorepiscopus of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Metropolitan of Akhaltsikhe and Tao-Klarjeti Theodore (Chuadze), Metropolitan of Khoni and Samtredia Saba (Gigiberia), Chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Georgian Patriarchate, Metropolitan of Zugdidi and Tsaishi Gerasime (Sharashenidze), Metropolitan of Gori and Ateni Andria (Gvazava), Protopresbyter of the Georgian Orthodox Church Giorgi Zviadadze, Secretary of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archpriest Mikhael Botkoveli, Head of the Public Relations Service of the Georgian Patriarchate, Archpriest Andria Jaghmaidze, and his deputy, Archpriest Guram Charelashvili, Deputy Chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Patriarchate, Archpriest Archil Khachidze, and other clergy. The meeting proceeded in a very warm and friendly atmosphere.

The guest conveyed to His Holiness and Beatitude the fraternal greetings of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, congratulated him on his enthronement as Patriarch of the Church of Georgia, and expressed gratitude for the warm reception. The conversation touched upon the continuation and strengthening of the fraternal relations existing between the Orthodox Churches of Constantinople and Georgia.

The participants of the meeting recalled the funeral ceremony of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II and the visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Georgia on that day. Shio III once again expressed gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarch for this visit and for his sympathy,” the information states.

In addition, according to the information, Shio III also recalled the day of his enthronement as Patriarch and the warm congratulations of the Ecumenical Patriarch in connection with this.

“Your Eminence, dear Metropolitan Emmanuel, I greet you with great love at the Georgian Patriarchate. This is our first face-to-face meeting after my enthronement. We are glad, together with our hierarchs, that by your visit today you officially represent the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the one hand, and on the other hand, we have already met each other so many times in a friendly atmosphere that this is also a meeting of a friendly disposition.

Of course, this gives a special colour to our gathering and gives hope for further very warm and good relations. I would like to take this opportunity and ask you to convey to His All-Holiness our request to be commemorated in his holy prayers.

We highly value the very warm and elevated attitude of His All-Holiness and also of you personally toward the memory of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, toward his person (when he was alive), which His All-Holiness and you showed and continue to show toward him.

I would like to note the special word of His All-Holiness at the funeral of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. Everyone noted that this word was permeated with true fraternal warmth and love, gratitude and respect.

Of course, the days of the repose of His Holiness and the subsequent continuation of the life of our Church without him were very heavy months for us. And so, by the mercy of God, my election as Catholicos-Patriarch took place. I would like to recall and will never forget the words of congratulation of His All-Holiness, who publicly confirmed that this was a worthy victory and congratulated all of us,” Shio III noted.

For his part, Metropolitan Emmanuel expressed great gratitude to the Patriarch for the warm reception.

“For me, as the representative of His All-Holiness, it is very pleasant to convey to you His Holiness’s fraternal greetings and best wishes.

I came to Georgia with double joy to congratulate you on your election as Catholicos-Patriarch. I would like to emphasize the close relationship between the two Patriarchates - the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Georgia. This is the legacy left by Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II.

We value your election, your selection as Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, as a very positive event. This will be the foundation for the continuation of the centuries-old, decades-long relations that exist between these two Churches. His All-Holiness has sent me to convey this message and communication to you: We await you with great joy. His All-Holiness himself strongly supports and does everything so that the relationship existing between our Churches continues,” he noted.

It is noteworthy that an important part of the meeting was devoted to discussion of Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III’s upcoming visit to Constantinople. At the end of the meeting, His Holiness and Beatitude Shio III presented gifts to the guest. A gift intended for the Ecumenical Patriarch was also handed over to Metropolitan Emmanuel.