Georgia’s defense officials attend memorial service for Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II

Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani, together with the Chief of the Defense Forces, Giorgi Matiashvili, and other military personnel, attended a memorial service at Sameba Cathedral to honor the late Ilia II, who held the titles of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Metropolitan of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinta, and Metropolitan of Abkhazia.

The ceremony was attended by deputies of the Defense Minister and Chief of Defense Forces, representatives of the Ministry of Defense and General Staff, servicemembers, as well as officials from the National Defense Academy of Georgia and the Cadet Military Lyceum.

The service commemorated Patriarch Ilia II’s spiritual leadership and decades-long contribution to the Georgian Orthodox Church and the nation.