“Perhaps, among the worthy Catholicos of the past, no one has so closely identified his name with Georgia, the Church, the nation, statehood, and the role of peacemaker in the Caucasus region as the blessed and enlightened Patriarch Ilia II,” said His Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, at the funeral ceremony of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia in the Trinity Cathedral.

Bartholomew I emphasized that Ilia II was a true pillar of strength for both the Church and the homeland, sharing love, devotion, and care equally with all.

“Your Excellencies and Holinesses, all priestly representatives of the Holy Local Churches of God, Metropolitan of Senaki and Chkhorotsku, Your Eminences, Your Holinesses, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, the mourners of the Most Holy Church of Georgia, Your Excellencies the President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Parliament, Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, esteemed members of the government, honorable representatives of other Christian confessions and religions, representatives of the diplomatic corps, Honorable Mayor of Tbilisi, pious monks and nuns, and the devout Georgian nation: how can we not mourn with great sorrow the departure of a person who stood at the highest level of morality, respect, and God-loving life, the blessed Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, and Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude, Ilia II.

The Holy Church of Georgia has lost a wise and God-honoring leader who shepherded the faithful for half a century. The venerable hierarchy of the country has lost its first hierarch, deeply learned in theology and pedagogy, through whom all high priests have received the profound grace of the priesthood. The state has lost a wise advisor, a patriotic envoy of peace and unity, devoted to the service of God. The Georgian nation has lost a loving father, vigilant until his last breath for the spiritual and social well-being of his people. The heritage of the Holy Apostle Nino and the Holy Great Martyr George is now without its respected guardian and faithful continuer.

Indeed, perhaps none of the worthy Catholicos of the past can claim a legacy so intertwined with Georgia, its Church, nation, statehood, and the cause of peace in the Caucasus as that of the blessed, soul-bright Patriarch Ilia II. He was a true pillar of strength for both the Church and the Homeland, sharing love, devotion, and daily care with all,” concluded Bartholomew I.