Official delegation of UOC takes part in funeral of Patriarch Ilia II
Official delegation of the UOC at the memorial services and funeral of Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia in Tbilisi. Photo: UOC
On March 21–22, 2026, an official delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took part in the memorial services and funeral of Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia in Tbilisi, the UOC Information and Education Department reports.
At the invitation of the Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church, the delegation arrived in Georgia with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The delegation included Metropolitan Serhiy of Ternopil and Kremenets, Archpriest Vasyl Pryts, secretary of the Department for External Church Relations, and Deacon Maksym Savchuk.
Metropolitan Longin of Bancheny also came to bid farewell to the Patriarch.
On March 21, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Metropolitan Serhiy served a memorial lity at the coffin of the departed Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The following day, March 22, representatives of the UOC took part in the Divine Liturgy and the funeral service for His Holiness the Patriarch.
In accordance with the last will of the late Patriarch Ilia II, he was buried at the Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Metropolitan Longin had arrived in Tbilisi for the funeral service of Patriarch Ilia.
Read also
Patriarch Daniel calls for preserving Church unity
In a sermon at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, the Bulgarian Primate emphasized humility, repentance, and fidelity to the Orthodox faith as the path to overcoming divisions.
Bulgarian and Constantinople Patriarchs attend Liturgy at Sofia Cathedral
Metropolitan Barnabas presided over the Liturgy at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia as part of celebrations marking two anniversaries of St. John of Rila.
Prosecutors seek to seize Dormition Church from UOC community in Pisky
Prosecutors are seeking to transfer a wooden church in Poltava Region, handed over to believers in 1992, to state ownership under the regional administration.
Metropolitan Onuphry: Love for enemies destroys evil, revenge multiplies it
The UOC Primate urged believers to forgive those who wrong them and do good without expecting gratitude or reward.
UOC's Sign Church damaged in Kherson air strike
In Kherson, Russian airstrikes shatter windows and damage the façade of the UOC’s Church of the Sign.
Yelensky: Not recognizing OCU means indirectly denying Ukrainian statehood
Viktor Yelensky believes that Local Churches that do not recognize the OCU thereby indirectly fail to recognize Ukrainian statehood as well.