“Today marks 48 years since the enthronement of His Holiness Ilia II. I congratulate our beloved Catholicos-Patriarch on this day with the greatest love and respect,” writes Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on social media.

The Georgian President wishes the Catholicos-Patriarch long life and good health.

“For our country, the last half-century has been filled with enormous challenges and ordeals, and fortunately, the Georgian people navigated this most difficult period under the spiritual leadership of Ilia II.

His Holiness’s service before Georgia’s modern history is immeasurably great. His wisdom, his example of forgiveness and reconciliation, and his boundless love for God and homeland have bestowed countless blessings upon our country.

I congratulate our beloved Catholicos-Patriarch on this day with the greatest love and respect, and wish him long life and health for the strength of our nation, our homeland and our Mother Church,” writes Kavelashvili.