“Georgian Theologians Abroad” join in the joy of the ancient, Orthodox, Apostolic, Autocephalous Church of Georgia and congratulate the newly enthroned Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III. We celebrate his election as the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia.
For us, as students, professors, and researchers in the field of theology, a close spiritual and scholarly relationship with our Church is existentially important. We understand how central the symphonic coexistence of faith and knowledge, spirituality and culture is. This is an expression of the great tradition established by the first Fathers and teachers of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. In the contemporary era, there is no alternative to the coexistence of these two spheres—faith and knowledge—within the Church. On one hand, faith without knowledge risks giving rise to fundamentalism and fanaticism, which are direct enemies of both the Church and society. On the other hand, knowledge without faith produces a dry rationalism that threatens the mystical body of the Church. Only a healthy synthesis of faith and knowledge reveals the path walked by the luminous fathers and mothers of our Church. Therefore, it is vital for us—the children of this Church and scholars of theology—to ensure our academic resources serve as a foundation for the spiritual and intellectual advancement of our Church.
We hope that our cooperation with His Holiness and Beatitude, Shio III, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, will bear much fruit. We pray for your long and fruitful ministry on the path of spiritual advancement for our Church and our society!
We pray for your long-standing ministry on the path of spiritual advancement for our church and nation!