Ilia II of Georgia
Ilia II (Georgian ილია II; native Irakli Ghuduschauri - Schiolaschwili (Georgian ირაკლი ღუდუშაური - შიოლაშვილი ); born January 4, 1933, Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetia -Alania ) is a Georgian minister. He is the patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church of the Apostles, Archbishop of Mtskheta -Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Zchum - Abkhazia.
Life
Career
He comes from an influential family clan, which is related to the Georgian royal house of Bagratides. After high-school diploma in 1952 he began studying first at the Moscow Theological Seminary and later at the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1957, he took off his silk monk and was named Ilia in honor of the prophet Elijah. In 1960, he completed his theological studies.
In the same year he became a priest at the Cathedral of Batumi, Georgia. In 1963 he became Bishop of Schemokmedi and Vicar of the Georgian Patriarchate. At the same time he took up in 1973, the Office of the Rector of the Theological Seminary of Mtskheta, which was then the only theological training facility in Georgia. 1967 Ilia was sent to Abkhazia, acquired in 1969 the rank of metropolitan. In 1977 he was elected Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of the Apostles to the Georgian and has been wearing his enthronement on 25 December the name Ilia II
During his tenure, the number of Orthodox dioceses increased from 15 to 27, the number of monasteries on 53 and the number of priests at over 600 were founded five new theological seminaries and academies and opened three orthodox schools. The Bible was printed in modern Georgian, published numerous theological journals and newspapers, built Orthodox age and homes for the disabled, orphanages and youth centers.
Memberships
Ilia was a member of the Christian Peace Conference, at the Allchristlichen peace meetings ( ACFV ) he participated regularly since 1964. The V. ACFV in Prague elected him a member of the Committee to continue the work. From 1978 to 1983 he was one of the six presidents of the World Council of Churches ( WCC / WCC ). Since 1997 he is member of the International Academy for Information of the United Nations.
Royalist and homophobe
His positions on democracy and human rights are controversial. In October 2007, he demanded to amend the Georgian constitution and establishing a constitutional monarchy. He spoke in favor of offering the 1801 dethroned by Tsarist Russia Bagratides dynasty again the throne.
2013 called the Patriarch the prohibition of homosexual demonstration in Tbilisi on the International Day Against Homophobia on May 17. Homosexuality is "abnormal and disease." The rally was a " violation of the rights of the majority" and " an insult to the Georgian nation." On the day of the demonstration around 5,000 Orthodox counter-demonstrators came to the elevator. Led by priests, they broke through the police barricades and drove the homosexual activists to flee.
Awards
Ilia II were awarded the highest religious order of the Orthodox churches in Europe. In 1986 he received honorary doctorates from the St. Vladimir Theological Seminary in New York, in 1997 the Academy of Sciences of Crete. Since 2003 he is honorary member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, since 2007 the International Academy for the carriage of scientific research. In February 2008, he received the Dawit - Guramishvili Prize was awarded.