“I congratulate you on Georgia’s Independence Day. The 26th of May is the most significant day in the history of our country. It embodies the Georgian people’s centuries-long striving and struggle for freedom, for the defence of the Christian faith and national values,” declared His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, Shio III, in his address at the ceremonial event dedicated to Georgia’s Independence Day.
According to the Patriarch, the restoration of statehood on May 26, 1918, was the moment when our nation once again proclaimed to the world its unwavering will to be free, independent, and accountable for its own present and future.
“On the path towards the attainment and consolidation of independence, the Georgian Orthodox Church has always been the spiritual foundation of the Georgian people and the bedrock of national unity. It is telling that the restoration of the Church’s autocephaly preceded the achievement of statehood. In its striving towards truth, the Georgian people came to know freedom in Christ, and it was precisely that truth which set them free. True freedom is not merely an outward expression of independence, nor a legacy inherited from the past; above all, it speaks to the spiritual condition of the human person and demands great responsibility from each of us. It is unceasing labour, dedication, and faithful service to our faith, our neighbour, our Motherland, and to righteousness.
Today, we remember with particular gratitude the devoted sons and daughters of our country, those who, through years of struggle for freedom, bequeathed to future generations an independent nation. The service they rendered and the lives they sacrificed in the cause of unity and peace oblige us to cherish and safeguard what they won. In this regard, the contribution of the late Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II is of the utmost significance. His half-century of ministry became a vital pillar in the spiritual and civic unity of the nation, in the strengthening of national consciousness, and in the consolidation of the Church’s and the country’s international standing.
This year, we mark the 1,700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion of Georgia. This date is not merely a historical event; it calls to mind the spiritual foundation that has shaped the Georgian people’s distinctiveness, culture, and civic consciousness over the centuries. The Christian faith taught our people what true freedom means: love of God and of one’s neighbour, steadfastness in times of trial, and self-sacrifice for the Motherland. Imbued with these values, the Georgian people weathered many a tempest and, strengthened by faith in Christ, rose again and grew in strength, not merely surviving and preserving their identity but making a meaningful contribution to the world’s treasury of spirituality and culture.
Today, I extend a particular greeting to the Georgian Defence Forces, to every soldier who faithfully guards the dignity and freedom of the Motherland. Remember: each of you must be not only a guarantor of the state’s security, but also an example of peace, responsibility, and love of country to your fellow citizens. The strength of an army ought to be manifest not in the desire for war, but in the preservation of peace. Peace is that highest of aims which establishes eternal values amongst men and true freedom.
I also wish to address our future generations. As the holy Apostle Paul says, you have been called to freedom: you are the hope and the strength of Georgia. It is therefore important that you understand the essence of freedom rightly. In the modern world, we often encounter mistaken notions of what freedom is. People are led to believe that freedom consists solely in the rejection of all constraint; in truth, genuine freedom is, first and foremost, responsibility, faith in God, inner fortitude, and an honest and virtuous life. It is the overcoming of vice and passion; it is the obligation to do what is right and pleasing to God. Only a generation raised in the understanding of these values will be capable of preserving the unity of our country and the independence of our state.
Freedom must not be reduced to a mere political acquisition and an inheritance from the past; rather, we must labour and strive each day for its consolidation. Let our statehood and independence be founded upon love of God and of the Motherland, upon justice and peace, upon unity and tolerance, upon service to our neighbour and to the common good of humanity, for a strong state is built only when these virtues prevail in society and when the people are united by devotion to common national goals and to spiritual and moral values.
Once again, I congratulate you all on Independence Day. May God bless you and give you strength. May God bless, strengthen, and unite all of Georgia,” declared Shio III.
