Pope Francis coming to Georgia
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Pope Francis will visit Georgia in late September, the Vatican has confirmed.
The visit will be part of the Pope’s Caucasus tour, which will involve Azerbaijan and Armenia too.
"Accepting the invitations from His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia, and the civil and religious authorities of Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Holy Father will complete his apostolic trip in the Caucasus, visiting [Azerbaijan and Georgia] from 30 September to 2 October, 2016,” the Vatican press office said.
In the same announcement the Holy See Press Office said Pope Francis would also visit Armenia in June 2016. The visit was scheduled for 24-26 of June.
The Administration of Georgia’s President welcomed the visit and said it was important not only for its religious meaning.
"The Vatican plays an important role in international relations and this is state relations with which is particularly important for us regarding promoting Georgia in the Catholic world and supporting the non-recognition policy of the occupied regions,” the President’s press office said in a statement.
This will be the second time a Pope has visited Georgia. Pope John Paul II visited Tbilisi in 1999.
The legacy of a prominent Georgian Catholic religious leader was celebrated this week in the Vatican in Rome.
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili is visiting the Vatican City in Rome and has met with Pope Francis, the world leader of the Catholic Church.
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili is preparing to visit Vatican City in Rome and meet Pope Francis, the world leader of the Catholic Church.
The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has been invited to visit Georgia as Georgian leaders look to intensify ties between the two nations.
The Vatican press office has today published the schedule of Pope Francis’ Georgia visit. The Pope will arrive in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi in the morning of September 30.
Pope Francis – the head of the Roman Catholic Church – has arrived in Georgia. Several minutes ago the religious leader was welcomed at Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli International Airport by President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili and Georgia’s Catholics Patriarch Ilia II.
"Georgia, a bridge between civilizations"
Pope Francis, who is on his first visit to Georgia, has publicly addressed the Georgian people from the Presidential palace in capital Tbilisi with the country’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is on an official visit to Vatican, has met with Pope Francis today. During the meeting they discussed a number of issues including the importance of global solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic, the grave humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), as well as Georgia’s role of a mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan to promote peace and stability in the region.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday held a farewell meeting with José Avelino Bettencourt, the Ambassador of the Holy See to Georgia, after the latter completed his diplomatic term in the country.