Primate of UOC donates Georgian believers the icon of Our Lady of Pochaev

December 25, on the feast day of St. Spyridon, Bishop of Tremithus, the Wonderworker, Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine took part in the liturgical celebrations of the anniversary of the enthronement of the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Sameba), Tbilisi, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

That day, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Abkhazia Ilia II celebrated the 39th anniversary of the enthronement.

At the end of the service the Primate of the UOC His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy addressed thousands of faithful gathered in the Cathedral of Sameba with greeting words in honour of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia.

In memory of the meeting and as a sign of gratitude for the prayer of the Catholicos-Patriarch for the Ukrainian people and for the support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church His Beatitude presented His Holiness with the icon of Our Lady of Pochaev. In his turn, the Catholicos-Patriarch gave the icon and candles as a gift to His Beatitude to light them before the Ukrainian shrines with a prayer for the people of Georgia.

On the occasion of holidays and the Day of St. Spyridon, Bishop of Tremithus, the Ukrainian delegation brought the relics of the saint wonderworker to the Georgian capital for worship. Thousands of believers of the Georgian Orthodox Church could venerate the shrine in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

On the same day Metropolitan Onufriy visited the Cathedral of the Holy Zion. His Beatitude bowed to the cross of St Nino and other holy sites in the temple.

Visiting the shrines of Georgia, the Primate of the UOC prayed for peace in the Ukrainian land.

Earlier on the night of December 24, the all-night Vigil was held in the Cathedral of Tbilisi, which was headed by His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of all Georgia, concelebrated by representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church headed by the Primate of the UOC His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy.