It is indeed a great honor for us to participate in this event together with the Parliament’s speaker, its deputies and the members of the government.
I would like to say that it is a great merit of Paata Burchuladze, perhaps one of his greatest merits.
Georgia can recall many great singers. We remember Vano Sarajishvili, David Gamrekeli, Zurab Anjafaridze and we still have Zurab Sotkilava, but on the opera stage it is possible that no one has acquainted Georgia to the world like Paata Burchuladze.
For an individual and a citizen, this would have already been enough satisfaction to have become part of history, for personal well being and happiness, but Paata Burchuladze desired far more than that.
He is in charge of many good initiatives, primarily his charity work in order to help children.
We have also often taken part in these activities.
He has awakened the spirit of charity among the Georgian nation, its citizens.
This is the best tradition of Georgia, which goes back to Vano Sarajishvili, the Zubalashvili brothers.
This cathedral is a new expression of what Paata Burchuladze is doing.
He could have limited himself to this and for any citizen it would have been their greatest achievement and a great historical accomplishment, but he has decided to start the construction of this new cathedral.
This decision is also significant in the sense that our citizens, hundreds of thousands of Georgians, will also join in this undertaking and take part in the construction of the cathedral.
Paata has intended to turn this into a common national and common citizenry activity, which is very much appreciated.
This is something that we have lacked – a common populace activism, common civil participation in public projects and I think, in this regard, Paata Burchuladze has indeed done a revolutionary job.
He made a revolution on the Georgian stage and in life, but a revolution in charity is a far more important thing.
I believe it is the greatest thing and I am grateful to him for this.
More than 50 million has been spent on the restoration of cathedrals for the past several years including the nearly 4 million being spent on the construction of the Poti Cathedral, 2 million on the restoration of Gremi, and 15 million is allocated for the reconstruction of Bagrati Cathedral which will open in September.
It truly is a great contribution in preserving of our cultural heritage.
We have restored many churches, including the Bolnisi Cathedral, a few dozen chapels in Kakheti, dozens of cathedrals in Kartli, Imereti, Adjara and Samegrelo – in every single region of unoccupied Georgia.
Besides this, we are working on maintaining our cathedrals, cultural centers, manuscripts and the icons of ancient times that are located abroad.
We are also working on making them known to the world.
Christianity is not only a part of the identity of Georgia, but its passport to Europe, to the civilized world.
This is what, despite all the skepticism, allows us to prove to everyone that Georgia is a European country to the fullest degree, the oldest civilization, which truly deserves to be the part of the modern civilized world.
The preservation of our cultural heritage is a very important and vital thing, but the construction of the new cathedral is similarly important.
I do not know of any other Christian country in the world where so many new Christian Cathedrals are being built, as is the case in our small Georgia.
This is what our generation should surely be proud of.
I would like to greet His Holiness.
When we talk about Christianity, it should be noted that perhaps there is no clerical hierarch with a greater name across the world than the Catholicos-patriarch of Georgia.
He is the most experienced, the most merited before the churches of his country and the world.
I would like to ask His Holiness to bless the construction of the Makhata Cathedral; also thank Paata for his work and support throughout these years.
I congratulate you today once again.