The President of Georgia congratulated the Catholics residing in Georgia on Christmas Holliday today. Mikheil Saakashvili went to Catholic Church and addressed the congregation. The President thanked the Catholic world for the support that Vatican provided to Georgia. Mikheil Saakashvili noted that people of different confessions live in Georgia, but their love towards country unites them.
"I want to congratulate you on Christmas Holliday and tell you that it is a great honor for me to be here. I wish happiness, joy and success to all of your families. God bless every Catholic and none-catholic Georgian families. Unfortunately I was not able to attend service yesterday, but I came to see you right after I returned from Svaneti. I will visit his Holiness and Beatitude, the Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II to congratulate him on the anniversary of his enthronization right after. It is symbolic that people of all confessions live in Georgia, but we are united by one thing - love of our motherland, faith in God and faith in the future of our motherland. I recall not only my official visit to Rome this year and my meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, but the historic visit of John Paul II. I was attending this visit and I even met him. I was the member of Georgian Parliament then. These days were special not only for the Catholics, but for those Georgians, who witnessed it all.
Georgian Catholics are indivisible and very special part of our culture, of our spiritual, educational, common national and multi-ethnic Georgian heritage. I have mentioned many times the contribution made by Georgian Catholics in the history of Georgia. Famous Georgian composer Zakaria Paliashvili was a Catholic; we had Georgian Catholics in every single sphere - famous Georgian scholar Mikheil Tamarashvili, Sulkhan Saba Orbeliani - who was the great patriot and one of the founders of modern Georgian political mentality. This relationship comes from our multi-century experience.
I am especially thankful for the fact that Vatican firmly supports our independence, freedom and territorial integrity. I told this personally to Pope during our meeting. It is very important that the church of the most influential and wide religion around the world supports Georgia's interests. I want to thank the representatives of Catholic Church for this, when Georgia's independence and territorial integrity was under the threat the support of Holly See was of great importance for Georgia's future and our future relations. I want to assure you that each of you can hope in the support of Georgian state. Once again I would like to congratulate you on this special holiday, congratulations to your spiritual father and I wish all of us to pray for our children, for our motherland and for our common future", Mikheil Saakashvili stated.
The Archbishop of Catholic Church in Georgia Giuseppe Patozo thanked the President of Georgia for his attention and kind wishes and noted that President's visit to Catholic Church is a great honor for each of them. The Deputy Ambassador of Vatican in Georgia Philipo Champaneli expressed the honor towards the President of Georgia on the behalf of Vatican Ambassador in Georgia. He wished the President and whole Georgian nation all the best on the behalf of Pope Benedict XVI as well.