The condolence letter of the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, on the passing of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II:

“Georgia has lost a spiritual father, our most Holy Patriarch, who dedicated every minute and second of his life to serving Christ, defending the homeland, and caring for his flock.

For half a century, His Holiness Patriarch Ilia II led the 2,000-year-old Georgian Church. From the darkness of atheism and fading embers, he rekindled true faith within the Georgian nation and, through his dedication and prayers, revived our Church.

In the most difficult moments of hopelessness and despair, it was he who bore the weight of the cross. He was a source of comfort and intercession for a nation in distress. He was far more to us than merely the head of the Church.

Our Patriarch has joined the ranks of the righteous in Heavenly Georgia, alongside our heroic ancestors, while his legacy and his words will continue to live among our people.

We are his generation - baptized, blessed, and consecrated by him.

I believe that through his heavenly prayers and blessings, we - both clergy and laity, the homeland he loved, every Georgian, and our Mother Church, for whose revival he labored throughout his life - will continue to be blessed”.