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Your Grace,

Reverend Father Ilia, 

Your Excellency/ Honorable Consul(s) General,

Reverend clergy,

Beloved parishioners,

Honoured guests,

Χριστός ἀνέστη! Christ is risen! Kriste aghdga!

During this bright period of Paschal joy, celebrating Christ’s Resurrection, we gather in this Holy Temple of Saint George at Edirnekapi, celebrating not only the Sunday of the Paralytic, but also the Independence Day of Georgia. This day, the 26th of May, marks a significant occasion in the hearts of the freedom-loving and God-fearing Georgian people. It is a day that resonates deeply with the spirit of liberty, faith, and perseverance that has defined the Georgian nation throughout history.

Following the example and teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Georgian people have endured great struggles to maintain their individual and communal freedom, protect their local Church, and defend their country’s right to exist. By the grace of God and through self-sacrifice and dignity, you and your compatriots have upheld your ethos and values, allowing you to reclaim your ecclesiastical and political independence, which had been violently seized in previous centuries.

Over a century ago, Georgia regained its sovereignty, which had been abolished by the Russian Empire, on the 26th of May, 1918, by the proclamation of the Georgian Democratic Republic. This historic event was preceded by the Georgian Hierarchy’s regained the ecclesiastical autocephaly on the 25th of March, 1917. However, these celebrations were short-lived, as the reborn Russian Empire, replaced by an atheistic communist state, occupied the newly founded Georgian Democratic Republic, subjecting the Georgian people to seven decades of suffering and humiliation under Soviet rule.

As before, during the Soviet domination, the Georgian language, a key element of Georgian identity, was endangered and suppressed. The demonstrations on the 14th of April, 1978 – in response to an attempt by the Soviet government to change the constitutional status of languages in Georgia – exemplified the resilience and resolve of the Georgian people, especially the youth, in their struggle to maintain this identity. Similarly, the tragedy of the 9th of April, 1989 – when peaceful demonstrators were mercilessly slaughtered and poisoned by the Soviet army, resulting in the loss of twenty-one Georgian patriots – began the process of the declaration of Georgian independence two years later, on the 9th of April, 1991, and the eventual fall of the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, in the religious sphere, the historic recognition of the autocephaly and the Patriarchal status of the ancient Church of Georgia by the Mother Church of Constantinople in 1990 solidified the country’s ecclesiastical self-determination. Entrusted to the Church’s primate, hierarchy, clergy, and laity, this honour, responsibility, and privilege depend on their constant vigilance, prudence, and steadfastness. Nevertheless, the maintenance and fortification of state independence and personal liberties are not the sole responsibility of one group; they rely on the unified efforts of everyone living in Georgia – regardless of their political leanings and religious confession. The unity of your compatriots – clearly manifested in crucial moments of history – is something to be desired and is celebrated in your homeland and throughout the world today.  

Consequently, among the numerous memorable dates associated with the Georgian struggle for unity and liberty, the 26th of May was symbolically chosen to celebrate Georgian sovereignty. Always falling during the fifty days of Paschal joy, we greet you all for this special day and take this opportunity to congratulate you on this greatest ecclesiastical feast of the Holy Pascha.

Looking at the local community here, we also note that this celebration coincides with the fourth anniversary of Father Ilia being with you in our valued Georgian-speaking parish, an appointment that has fostered a vibrant Georgian cultural and spiritual environment – creating a point of reference and a home away from home. Among the various community-building initiatives you have undertaken, we observe that today’s Sunday school event for your dear children further enriches this environment, nurturing the next generation in the faith and traditions of their heritage.

Commemorating this important day and your rich history and praying for your well-being, we wish that you continue to give thanks and glory to God for all the blessings in your lives while remaining dignified and responsible patriots of the independent Georgian state. May the joy of the Resurrection of our Lord inspire you and guide you in all your endeavours.

May God bless you all!

Kriste aghdga!