Mass baptism of babies will take place in Tbilisi today after the evening service. The sacrament will be performed by the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, who baptizes 620 children at once. All in all, the Primate of the Georgian Church has more than 36,100 godchildren, the Novosti-Georgia news agency reports. At the end of the rite of holy baptism, Elijah the Second will bless his godchildren. The tradition of mass baptism of children in Georgia originated in 2008 in the city of Sameba. Since then, the Catholicos-Patriarch has baptized third and subsequent children from families where the spouses are related to each other by a married marriage. Thus, the Georgian Church encourages demographic growth in the country. Recall that the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II (Irakli Gudushauri-Shiolashvili), a native of Vladikavkaz and a graduate of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, has been serving as the Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1977.
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