Georgian Patriarch turns 87

His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia has turned 87 today.

On 25 December Ilia II marked the 42 nd anniversary of his appointment to the position.

Ilia II was born on January 4 of 1933. In 1967 he was consecrated as the bishop of Tskhumi and Abkhazeti in the western, currently occupied region, and elevated to the rank of metropolitan in 1969.

He became the patriarch on December 23 of 1977.