Georgia’s independence must be preserved, strengthened through ‘true freedom’, Patriarch’s Locum Tenens Shio

Metropolitan Shio Mujiri, Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne of the Georgian Orthodox Church, has said that those who died during the events of April 9,1989, when Soviet troops violently dispersed a peaceful pro-independence protest in Tbilisi, made a profound contribution to Georgia’s struggle for independence, but stressed that achieving independence alone was not enough without preserving and developing it.

Speaking at the 9 April memorial in Tbilisi, Metropolitan Shio said that political sovereignty by itself was insufficient and that the country’s future also depended on citizens attaining what he described as “personal freedom” as an inner moral quality.

He said society must understand the meaning of “true freedom,” which he described as essential to the nation’s survival.

“True freedom is not merely doing whatever one wishes; it is the ability to govern oneself and to do what is right and necessary,” he said.

The cleric warned that freedom without moral and spiritual foundations could become dangerous and destructive, both for individuals and for the country as a whole.

He called on Georgians to pursue spiritual reflection, repentance and self-improvement, urging society to confront what he described as the moral failings and sins that must be overcome in order for the country to receive divine blessing and achieve greater unity and strength.

Metropolitan Shio concluded by honouring the memory of those killed on 9 April and offering prayers for Georgia’s unity, protection and future prosperity.