“Rarely in a person’s life does such a moment of sorrow and elevation arise as it does for me today. Before the entire nation, I bid farewell to our spiritual father. Like all Georgians, I carry in my heart a profound pain and a deep love—feelings that need no explanation, as they are shared by all of us,” said the Honorary Chairman of the Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, at the funeral ceremony of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi.

“There are moments in the life of a nation when society is united by either a great trial or a great joy. Today is such a moment for our country. Millions of Georgians stand in silence before a great trial, and it is in this profound, resounding silence that each citizen fully feels the magnitude of the loss we face.

In this silence, we bid farewell to an era that bore your name. Despite our immense grief, we are also a blessed people, for we were honored to be called the spiritual children of His Holiness and Beatitude, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia—Ilia II.

He was a teacher who devoted his entire life—and even his passing—to the unity and consolidation of his flock, the Georgian people,” Bidzina Ivanishvili said.