{"id":136585,"date":"2026-03-24T15:42:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T11:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiflisnews.ge\/?p=136585"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:46:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:46:49","slug":"foreign-delegations-arrive-at-sioni-cathedral-to-honor-ilia-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiflisnews.ge\/en\/foreign-delegations-arrive-at-sioni-cathedral-to-honor-ilia-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreign delegations arrive at Sioni Cathedral to honor Ilia II"},"content":{"rendered":"

Representatives of delegations from various countries, including the United States, are arriving at Sioni Cathedral to pay their respects to Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the media, members of the delegations recalled their personal connections with Ilia II and highlighted his significance for the Georgian Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n

Father Athanasios, a representative of the St. James Monastery in Oklahoma, noted that Ilia II was widely respected beyond Georgia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am from the St. James Monastery in Oklahoma. I am here with the blessing of our spiritual father, who was a long-time friend and brother of Patriarch Ilia II. I had met him several years ago, and now I had the opportunity to come to his funeral. He was a beloved patriarch to everyone. I know what he meant to Georgia, but he was also loved in the United States and many other places around the world. Love for him was felt in every corner of the world,\u201d Father Athanasios said.<\/p>\n

Abbot Elder Emiliani, representing the St. Sidonia Monastery in Maryland, also traveled to Georgia to honor Ilia II.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came here from the St. Sidonia Monastery in Maryland to express my great gratitude to His Holiness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Representatives of delegations from various countries, including the United States, are arriving at Sioni Cathedral to pay their respects to Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II. Speaking to the media, members of the delegations recalled their personal connections with Ilia II and highlighted his significance for the Georgian Orthodox Church. Father Athanasios, a representative of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[169,166],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-136585","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news-of-the-day","8":"category-society"},"yoast_head":"\nForeign delegations arrive at Sioni Cathedral to honor Ilia II - TiflisNews.ge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tiflisnews.ge\/en\/foreign-delegations-arrive-at-sioni-cathedral-to-honor-ilia-ii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Foreign delegations arrive at Sioni Cathedral to honor Ilia II - TiflisNews.ge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Representatives of delegations from various countries, including the United States, are arriving at Sioni Cathedral to pay their respects to Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II. Speaking to the media, members of the delegations recalled their personal connections with Ilia II and highlighted his significance for the Georgian Orthodox Church. 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