One of the most beloved Orthodox priests in America, known for decades of dedicated labor in the Lord’s vineyard, reposed in the Lord last week
He served the Church as a hierarch for 49 years.
His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia, the most trusted and beloved man in the nation and one of the most beloved hierarchs in the Orthodox world, turned 91 yesterday, January 4.
The entire Church participated in helping victims of the war in Ukraine. Headquarters and resource centers for assistance were established in Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Rybinsk, and Simferopol. Coordination centers were opened in Mariupol and Moscow.
In their letter, the monasteries explain that the Archbishop is not welcome following the scandal he caused when he baptized the child of an openly gay couple in Greece last summer.