Up to 700 children have become godchildren of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III. The new primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church continued the tradition established by Patriarch Ilia II.
This was the first time Shio III personally performed this sacrament.
After the baptism ceremony concluded at the Sameba Cathedral, the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, Shio III, addressed the congregation with a sermon and blessed his godchildren.
As a reminder, in 2008, with the aim of improving Georgia’s demographic situation, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, established the tradition of mass baptism, personally becoming the godfather to every third and subsequent child in a family.
Mass baptisms were held several times a year. For Georgian families, having their child become a godchild of Patriarch Ilia II was a great honor. Today, the number of godchildren of the late Patriarch exceeds 50,000 children.