Patriarch of Georgia emphasized the role of faith in society 1,700 years since Christianity became the state religiontranslated

His Beatitude Father Shio III, the Patriarch of Georgia, emphasized the role of faith in society on Sunday, during the international symposium organized on the occasion of the 1,700th anniversary of Christianity becoming the state religion in Georgia.

The event takes place in Tbilisi from October 11-13. The program includes sessions on history, ethnology and archaeology, language and literature, culture and art, religion and science.

The opening ceremony was attended by Roin Metreveli, the president of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia, and representatives of central public authorities.

Christianity started a spiritual path The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church addressed a message to the participants, in which he recalled Georgia's Christian journey and the role faith played in the formation of the country's spiritual and cultural identity.

"The history of the past two millennia testifies that, in our country, Christianity started a completely new spiritual path and a new religious consciousness; it taught us that the main goal of man is eternal communion with God; it gave us the possibility of deification and salvation...