Speaker: Love of homeland and faith are values that unite Georgian Christian family and strengthen both family and state

“It is symbolic that this year we are marking 1,700 years since Christianity was declared the state religion in Georgia, while the Georgian Church traces its history back even further. This chronology began here in Adjara, with the first sermons and baptisms by Andrew the First-Called. That makes today even more symbolic,” Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said.

Papuashvili made the remarks in Adjara while attending a mass baptism at the Skhalta Diocese.

He said love of the homeland and faith are the values that unite the Georgian Christian family.

“Today is a special day, made even more special because the joy of your families has become the joy of all Georgia. The entire country’s attention is focused on this remarkable occasion, when 1,300 people were baptized.

I would especially like to congratulate those of you who are adults and became members of the Church today. As the Catholicos-Patriarch noted, your decision is an important step of faith.

It is symbolic that this year we are marking 1,700 years since Christianity was declared the state religion in Georgia. However, the Georgian Church traces its history back 2,000 years, and this chronology began right here in Adjara, with the first sermons and baptisms performed by Andrew the First-Called.

That is why today’s occasion carries even greater significance in this important year, when we mark 1,700 years of Christian statehood.

I would particularly like to address the families of the children baptized today. You have given your children not only life but also a sense of belonging. You give them a language, teach them to love their homeland, and today you have shared your faith with them.

These are the values that unite the Georgian Christian family. The more firmly a family is united around these values, the stronger the family itself becomes, and the stronger the state becomes. I wish this strength to each of your families.

Once again, I congratulate you all on this day and wish you health, success and God’s love. May God bless those baptized today, may God bless Adjara, and may God protect Georgia,” Papuashvili said.