The members of the Georgian Parliament honoured the memory of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II with a minute of silence during the plenary session.

At the start of the session, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili highlighted that the Patriarch’s name is inseparably linked with the spiritual and state revival of modern Georgia.

“We interrupted last week’s plenary sessions due to the death of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, a great sorrow for our nation, our state, and for many beyond Georgia. We received numerous letters of condolence from countries around the world, from friends and the diaspora. Everyone connected with Georgia over the past 50 years shared this grief.

Today, we pay tribute to a person whose work extended far beyond the Church. His legacy is tied to three key achievements: the recognition of the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which heralded Georgia’s state independence; the signing of the Constitutional Agreement, establishing a constitutional relationship between the state and the Church; and the restoration of the five-pointed national flag, a symbol of Georgia’s historical identity and spiritual unity. On April 27, 1999, from this very rostrum, Patriarch Ilia II called for the flag’s restoration, which was ultimately realized.

These acts—uniting faith, state, and national symbols—are the cornerstone of his legacy. His contribution will remain an integral part of our state, our Church, and our public consciousness. Let us honor the memory of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II with a minute of silence. May his memory be eternal,” Papuashvili said.