POPE VISITS SPIRITUAL CENTER OF GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, NOV 8, 1999 (VIS) - Following the meeting with Patriarch-Catholicos Ilia II and the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church, Pope John Paul and Ilia II left the patriarchal palace in Tbilisi and rode together in a car to Svetitskhoveli cathedral, the spiritual center of the Orthodox Church in Georgia, which is in Mtskheta, 26 kilometers from Tbilisi.

According to local tradition, Christ's tunic is kept in this cathedral, whose name means "the column which gives life." On October 1 of each year, the tunic is brought out for public view, and new bishops are also ordained on that date. The cathedral can hold 500 people.

"For me, this is indeed a moment of true blessing from Almighty God, who gives me this opportunity to greet the Catholicos-Patriarch and the Holy Synod of the Apostolic Church of Georgia," the Holy Father told those assembled here for the early evening ceremony.

"We cannot doubt," he stated, "that the course which lies before the Church at the dawn of the Third Millennium is that of proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Savior, to the men and women of today, with no less fervor and conviction than that of the great evangelizers of the past. We give thanks to God that the Church in Georgia has continued down the centuries to preach the Good News with steadfast faith and proven fidelity."

"May the candles which we have lighted this evening be a symbol and pledge of our common commitment to let Christ shed His light on the path ahead, dispelling every trace of darkness and gloom and showing the way to a brighter future."

The Pope concluded: "To the Father of all consolation, I entrust this beautiful land, that through a renewed discovery of its Christian heritage Georgia may grow in harmony and prosperity, for the happiness of its people and for greater stability, cooperation and peace throughout the whole region."

After his visit to the cathedral, Pope John Paul returned to Tbilisi and the House of Charity, where he is a guest during his stay in Georgia. Just-completed, the House of Charity will welcome the homeless of Tbilisi. It has been entrusted to the late Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity, and will be blessed tomorrow morning by the Holy Father during a brief ceremony in its chapel.

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