Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said that the historic bond between Greece and Georgia was based on Orthodox faith. He welcomed professors and students from Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University at the Phanar on Saturday, November, 23. Roman Catholic Bishop of Caucasus, Giuseppe Pasotto, the Rector, Vaja Vardidze and the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Professor Gocha Barnovi, were also present.
In his address, the Ecumenical Patriarch said, “The Georgian and the Greek people have strong historic ties. We have different culture and customs, different language, but we have in common the Orthodox faith, which unites us. Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia is an exceptional figure not only for your own Church and country but also for all the Orthodox world. Not only I express my brotherly love to him, but I also respect and admire him as a national hero We want to develop close relations between the two Churches in order to support and promote each other.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch also spoke of the ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “We have been here for many centuries. We still carry on the traditions and the Christian faith in a country that has a different religion. We do our best in order to enhance the unity into the Orthodox world, a not very easy task, at a time when the inter-orthodox relations experience difficulties.”