Georgia's Catholic faithful gather for pope's Mass

Record ID: 83404

  • Title: Georgia's Catholic faithful gather for pope's Mass
  • Date: 1st October 2016
  • Summary: TBILISI, GEORGIA (OCTOBER 1, 2016) (REUTERS) WIDE OF MESKHI STADIUM PEOPLE WALKING INTO STADIUM CHOIR REHEARSING MEN IN ROBES WALKING ALONG FAITHFUL AT STADIUM ANNA STURLA AND HER FAMILY SITTING IN STADIUM SEATS (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) LAWYER, ANNA STURLA, SAYING: "First of all I'm very flattered and happy, that Georgia has merited such an honour and we are being visited by the pope. He is visiting our country, Tbilisi and celebrated Holy Mass here. In my opinion, this is a very important and joyful day for all of us." (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) TEACHER, LYUDMILA OTSKHELI, SAYING: "This is a big celebration, a huge celebration for all Catholics. I expect peace from this visit, I hope that God will protect us and help us all." YOUNG PEOPLE SEATED IN STADIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) ENDOCRINOLOGIST, KETI KHITARIKHVILI, SAYING: "This is a very significant event, both for the country and for faithful from the whole Catholic parish. He is a true pope, he is not just a religious figure, but also a very political figure. Because I think that with this visit, the role of Georgia will be raised measurably on the world stage." PEOPLE IN STADIUM
  • Embargoed: 16th October 2016 09:49
  • Keywords: Pope Francis Holy Mass Georgia stadium faithful people
  • Location: TBILISI, GEORGIA
  • City: TBILISI, GEORGIA
  • Country: Georgia
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001526993B
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Pope Francis on Saturday (October 1) said a Mass for an unusually small crowd of just a few thousand Catholics in Georgia, a celebration that was further dampened when a delegation from the Orthodox Church stayed away.
    Ex-Soviet Georgia is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian and less than 1 percent of the population is Catholic, according to government figures.
    Still, organisers were hoping for a much bigger turnout than the some 3,000 people who came to the Mass at a stadium in the capital that has a capacity of 25,000.
    It was one of the smallest crowds ever seen at an outdoor papal Mass on Francis' 16 foreign trips so far.
    Georgia's Catholic faithful who did come to Meskhi stadium said they were happy the pope had chosen to visit their country.
    "First of all I'm very flattered and happy, that Georgia has merited such an honour and we are being visited by the pope. He is visiting our country, Tbilisi and celebrated Holy Mass here. In my opinion, this is a very important and joyful day for all of us," said Anna Sturla, a lawyer.
    "This is a very significant event, both for the country and for faithful from the whole Catholic parish. He is a true pope, he is not just a religious figure, but also a very political figure. Because I think that with this visit, the role of Georgia will be raised measurably on the world stage," said another Mass attendant, Keti Khitarikhvili.
    A delegation representing the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, that the Vatican had expected to come to the worship service, did not show up.
    Two days before the pope arrived, Ilia issued a statement saying Orthodox could not attend Catholic Masses because of doctrinal differences dating back to the 1054 schism that divided Christianity into eastern and western branches.
    The Vatican, however, had been hoping the Orthodox would still attend.
    Under Francis, who was elected in 2013, the Vatican has made a concerted effort to improve relations with Orthodox Christians, who number around 250 million worldwide, in the hopes of an eventual reunion.
    Earlier this year, he held a historic meeting with Kirill, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.
    The Georgian Orthodox Church is one of the more conservative in the Orthodox world.
    The pope met Patriarch Ilia after his arrival on Friday (September 30) and was due to have another meeting with him on Saturday night. Francis leaves on Sunday (October 2) for overwhelmingly Muslim Azerbaijan. He returns to Rome on Sunday night.
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