Ilia II of Georgia
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Alma mater | Moscow Theological Academy |
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Ilia II (Georgian: ილია II, romanized: ilia II; born 4 January 1933), also transcribed as Ilya or Elijah, is the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church. He is officially styled as "Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan Bishop of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II."[1]
Biography
Ilia II was born 4 January 1933 as Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili (
Irakli Ghudushauri graduated from the
In 1967, Ilia was consecrated as the bishop of
The new patriarch began a course of reforms, enabling the Georgian Orthodox Church, once suppressed by the Soviet ideology, to largely regain its former influence and prestige by the late 1980s. In 1988, there were 180 priests, 40 monks, and 15 nuns for a congregation variously estimated as being from one to three million. There were 200 churches, one seminary, three convents, and four monasteries.[citation needed] During the last years of the Soviet Union, he was actively involved in Georgia's social life.
The patriarch oversaw the publication of a linguistically updated, modern Georgian version of the Bible, which was printed in the Gorbachev era.[3]
The patriarch joined the people demonstrating in Tbilisi against the Soviet rule on 9 April 1989, and fruitlessly urged the protesters to withdraw to the nearby
From 1978 to 1983, Ilia II was co-president of the
Awards and recognition
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (December 2016) |
As patriarch, he has received the highest Church awards from the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Churches of
Ilia II and Russia
During the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Ilia II appealed to the Russian political leadership and the church, expressing concerns that "the Orthodox Russians were bombing Orthodox Georgians". He also made a pastoral visit, bringing food and aid, to the Russian-occupied central Georgian city of Gori and the surrounding villages which were at the verge of humanitarian catastrophe.[citation needed] He also helped retrieve the bodies of deceased Georgian soldiers and civilians.[8][9] Ilia II also blessed the September 1, 2008 "Stop Russia" demonstrations, in which tens of thousands organized human chains across Georgia.[10]
In December 2008, Ilia II visited Moscow to participate in the funeral service of Russia's late Patriarch Alexy II. On 9 December 2008, he met Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, which was the first high-level official contact between the two countries since the August war.[11] Later, Ilia II announced that he had some "positive agreements" with Medvedev which needed "careful and diplomatic" follow-up by the politicians.[12]
In March 2023, Ilia II wrote a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch
Initiative to increase Georgia's declining birth rate
In late 2007, concerned with Georgia's declining birth rate, Ilia II offered to personally baptize any child born to a family that already has at least two children, as long as the new child was to be born after his announcement. He conducts mass baptism ceremonies four times a year. The patriarch's initiative contributed to a national baby boom,[14] as being baptized by the Patriarch is a considerable honour among adherents of the Georgian Orthodox Church.[15] Ilia II has more than 19,000 godchildren.[16]
Approval ratings
Ilia II was called "the most trusted man in Georgia" by
Views
Constitutional Monarchy
Ilia II has a reputation as a proponent of constitutional monarchy as a form of government for Georgia. On 7 October 2007, he publicly called in a sermon for consideration of establishing a constitutional monarchy under the Bagrationi dynasty (which the Russian Empire had dispossessed of the Georgian crown early in the 19th century).[19] The call coincided with rising confrontation between the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili and the opposition, many[quantify] members of which welcomed the patriarch's proposal.[20] Ilia II favored the ancient house of Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani, and initiated a marriage between this genealogically senior royal line with the Gruzinsky branch.[21]
He later personally baptized the offspring of this union,
Homosexuality
In 2013, Ilia II described homosexuality as a "disease"
Liberalism
In his sermons, Ilia II has condemned homosexuality, abortion, and demanded television be censored to remove sexual content, has denounced school textbooks for "insufficient patriotism", lectured against what he calls "extreme liberalism" and warned against "pseudo-culture" from abroad. He has opposed attempts to give other confessions equal status under Georgian law and has condemned international educational exchanges and working abroad as "unpatriotic".[27]
See also
References
- ^ "Управление Цхум-Абхазской епархией передано Католикосу-Патриарху всея Грузии Илие II". abkhazeti.info. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ See 'Владикавказ, автономный город', ru:Северо-Кавказский край#Административное деление при учреждении края: в состав края входили 12 округов, 7 автономных областей и 2 автономных города, на правах округа.
- ^ Fairy von Lilienfeld, "Reflections on the Current State of the Georgian Church and Nation", 1993. [1]
- ISBN 1139450948.
- ISBN 1898948682.
- ISBN 978-1784530853.
- ^ Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, International Religious Freedom Report for 2015, Georgia [2]
- The International Herald Tribune. September 5, 2008
- ^ Church Intervenes to Bring Soldiers’ Bodies Back. Civil Georgia. August 16, 2008
- ^ Georgians in Mass ‘Live Chain’ Say ‘Stop Russia’. Civil Georgia. September 1, 2008
- ^ Head of Georgian Church Meets Medvedev. Civil Georgia. September 1, 2008
- ^ Head of Georgian Church Again Speaks of ‘Positive Agreements’ with Medvedev. Civil Georgia. December 16, 2008
- ^ "Patriarch Ilia II's letter on Ukraine provokes wave of criticism in Georgia". JAMnews. March 28, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Europe / Church leader sparks Georgian baby boom". BBC News. Retrieved February 22, 2023..
- ^ Esslemont, Tom (March 26, 2009). "Europe | Church leader sparks Georgian baby boom". BBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
- ^ პატრიარქის ნათლული ხვალ კიდევ 610 ბავშვი გახდება InterPressNews
- ^ Patriarch Ilia II: Most trusted man in Georgia CNN
- ^ Politicians' Ratings in NDI-Commissioned Poll Civil.ge
- ^ Georgian Church Calls for Constitutional Monarchy. Civil Georgia. October 7, 2007.
- ^ Politicians Comment on Constitutional Monarchy Proposal. Civil Georgia. October 10, 2007.
- ^ a b Tabula (June 29, 2017). Patriarch Ilia II’s Plan for Georgia: Five-Year-Old Prince Giorgi Bagrationi. http://www.tabula.ge/en/story/121559-patriarch-ilia-iis-plan-for-georgia-five-year-old-prince-giorgi-bagrationi
- ^ The Georgian Journal (19 December 2013). Georgian Royal Family Divorce. Retrieved: https://www.georgianjournal.ge/society/25730-georgian-royal-family-divorce.html
- ^ "Le mariage du prince Juan Bagration-Mukhrani et Kristine Dzidziguri". June 29, 2018. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Patriarch Iliya II Calls For Gay Rally Ban". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. May 16, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ "Thousands protest in Georgia over gay rights rally". BBC News. May 17, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- ^ "Ilia the Second – Church is Against Violence, but Sin Can't be Popularized". Interpressnews. May 18, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- ^ Stephen Jones, Georgia: A Political History Since Independence, 2015. – p.229-230.
External links
- Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia (in Georgian)