Pope Francis sends birthday wishes to Georgian patriarch, praises his musical compositions

Pope Francis on Wednesday congratulated the Georgian Patriarch Ilia II on his 90th birthday, wishing him peace and highlighting his musical compositions.

“While your many years of service to the Lord have been accompanied by a number of challenges and the significant transformation of your country, the Church entrusted to your care has always grown spiritually and flourished”, the pope said in his letter. 

“Please know that I especially appreciate your varied musical compositions, which I often listen to as a valuable means of preparation for prayer. This is very precious to me!”, he noted. 

The pope requested the Georgian patriarch to make a mention of his name in his prayers.