Georgian Vice PM: faith, identity, tradition “sacred” for Georgians

Georgian vice prime minister and state minister for coordination of law enforcement agencies Mamuka Mdinaradze on Sunday said that for Georgians, everything connected to “faith, identity, and tradition” was sacred, expressing hope that similar attitudes toward such values exist worldwide.

In his remarks, Mdinaradze recalled that Family Purity Day was established through the initiative and blessing of the late Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, underlining its importance as a tradition tied to faith and national identity.

“For Georgians, everything connected to faith, identity, and tradition is sacred. Therefore, it is no coincidence that today, by the initiative and blessing of our Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, it was named Family Purity Day, because it is a tradition, a form of faith, and its respect is a particularly important issue related to identity”, he said.

The vice prime minister welcomed the continuation of this tradition by the new Patriarch Shio III, stating that it ensures Georgians will never lose their faith, identity, tradition, or culture.

“The recent initiative of Patriarch Shio III, that this continues and become irreversible, also means that Georgians will never lose anything related to these matters - no faith, no identity, no tradition, no culture, and they will always respect their own family and parents. This will be their main distinguishing feature from others. I wish that everywhere in the world such events would be held with this kind of attitude, so that future generations are raised on these high values”, Mdinaradze concluded.

Georgia marks the Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents with gatherings and public processions taking place across the country under the blessing of the Georgian Orthodox Church.