“The Church of Cyprus shares with profound sorrow in the grief of its sister Church of Georgia on the repose of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia,” reads the official letter of condolence issued by the Church of Cyprus.
The Church of Cyprus commemorates His Holiness as a Patriarch of the Renaissance, noting that Ilia II assumed the Patriarchal throne at an extraordinarily difficult time for the Georgian Church.
The letter states: “The godless communist turmoil of the Soviet Union forcibly stripped the Georgian Church of its autocephaly. Under the leadership of Ilia II, the Georgian Church was reborn and reclaimed its central place in society.”
The condolence message continues:
“The love of His Holiness Patriarch Ilia II for the Church of Cyprus found its most vivid expression during his pilgrimage to our island in October 2014, at the invitation of the Most Blessed Archbishop of Cyprus, His Beatitude Chrysostomos II. During his six-day visit, His Holiness the Patriarch undertook pilgrimages to the island’s most sacred and revered holy sites. A solemn hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Larnaca, at the historic Church of Saint Lazarus. At the close of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Chrysostomos addressed the Patriarch with the following words: ‘We feel you close to us, as one of our own, for there are many similarities between our Churches, and their arduous journey across twenty Christian centuries has been alike.’ The visit also included the Holy Monastery of Kykkos, the Monastery of Saint Herakleidios, the Church of Panagia Angeloktisti, the Monastery of Saint Neophytos, and the Georgian Monastery of the Holy Panagia Chrysogialiotissa in Paphos, where great multitudes of pilgrims gathered to receive his blessing.
Shortly before his departure, His Holiness the Patriarch bid farewell to the Orthodox people of Cyprus, leaving them a spiritual legacy: “I pray for the peace, love, and unity of Cyprus.”
The Church of Cyprus extends its heartfelt condolences to the sister Church of Georgia, to its clergy and its people, and prays that the Lord may grant rest to the soul of the blessed Patriarch.”
