Russian Church Leader Ignores Georgian Patriarch's new title

The Russian Patriarch Kirill skipped over “Abkhazia” from an official title of the Georgian Orthodox Church leader in a Christmas congratulation message.

In an apparent move to emphasize that Abkhazia is part of the Georgian Orthodox Church’s canonical borders, its main decision-making body, the Holy Synod, decided on December 21 to also make the Patriarch Ilia II Metropolitan of Tskhum-Abkhazia and Bichvinta (Pitsunda).

But in the letter sent to Ilia II to congratulate the Christmas, Russian Patriarch refers to the Georgian Church leader with his previous title: “Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II”.

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