Hungarian President: Patriarch Ilia II served both the Church and Georgian state and people

Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has conveyed his condolences to Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on the passing of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia.

According to the Georgian President’s Administration, President Sulyok noted in his letter that Ilia II had served with unwavering dedication both the Church and the Georgian state and people.

“It was with profound sorrow that I learned of the passing of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

From Hungary, we followed with the greatest respect his nearly half a century of service as Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Throughout this time, he served both the Church and the Georgian state and people faithfully. In times of particular hardship, he stood as an outstanding guardian of the faith and of the Church. His ministry was grounded at every turn in Christian values, in the strengthening of the family as an institution, and in support for large families.

I am certain that, despite this irreplaceable loss, his followers will find strength and consolation in the rich spiritual and intellectual legacy he has bequeathed to Georgia and to the Orthodox world.
Please accept my heartfelt condolences. I share in the grief of the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Georgian people,” reads the letter.