Catholicos Ilia II of Georgia on the upcoming great council

(foma.ru) - During his visit to Moscow Patriarch, Catholicos, the Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II, answered questions, "Thomas" and "Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate", describing the relationship between Georgia and Russia, the prospects of convening a new Pan-Orthodox Cathedral and the main challenges facing the Orthodox Church in the former Soviet Union.

Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate: Your Holiness, you have participated in the meeting of the Local Churches. How do you assess it, and the whole attitude of the Orthodox world?

First of all, let me warmly welcome all Orthodox Christians in Russia. I must say that relations between the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches have always been cordial. As for the overall inter-cooperation, I think that the dialogue is poor. Today has accumulated a lot of issues between the Orthodox Church, which must be resolved. So now a lot of talk about Pan-Orthodox Council. But I think that until you have resolved all the problematic issues that exist today between the Orthodox Churches, perhaps, the Council can not collect. These difficult issues I refer the issue of granting autocephaly the new local churches, the issue of a diptych and so on. This is a complex topic, and must necessarily solve them with the consent of all the Orthodox Churches.

THOMAS: Your Holiness, in different times and under different conditions of the Church faced different challenges in the preaching of Christianity. Do you see any particular difficulties and challenges common to all post-Soviet Orthodox?

The main duty of the clergy - a sermon, and, of course, our priests and bishops are doing a lot to teach and lead people to the Church. But perhaps it still is not enough. We need more active steps, first and foremost it is important to refer to young people and their problems. I met with a group of young Christians from America, they call to go to church youth, suffering from drug addiction. And it is important to be as active. And yet it is necessary that the sermon was not only, but it sounded at a decent level of quality. The clergy need to prepare before you preach to people. I remember in my years of study at the Moscow Theological Academy in Sergiev Posad, we had a wonderful father, Professor John Kozlov, who was preparing for his sermon from Monday to Saturday. And his sermon was very short, students of the Academy regretted that it had already ended.

Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate: Going back to the relations between the Orthodox Churches, how do you assess the role of the Patriarch in the life of world Orthodoxy?

This is a very energetic and educated people. He is doing much to bring people to church and I think that the efforts he is making quite enough. What matters is that they were supported by the rest of the clergy, who should take the example of the Patriarch. His Holiness Kirill - a great preacher, and that is why he has such a serious credibility among the faithful. Priests and bishops is important to learn from this experience preaching.

THOMAS: How do you assess what role the Georgian and Russian Orthodox Churches have to play today in relations between Russia and Georgia?

Now, when so strained relations between our countries and governments, there was very harmful for the Russia and Georgia to the situation. Under these conditions, the relationship between our Churches - is the only channel for the relationship between our two countries. At the same time I must say that the issue of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali issue - it's open wounds on the body of Georgia, and the same - the oldest of our diocese. I myself was eleven years old Metropolitan Sukhumi and Abkhazian, I know who lived there Abkhazians and Georgians. Relations between them were very warm, so you need to think about how that all came back into its bosom. I met with President of Russia along with other representatives of Churches and told him that the situation of "neither peace nor war" - as harmful and dangerous for Georgia and Russia. Time is working against our countries. And it must as soon as possible to resolve our differences.