Pope Francis invited to Tbilisi
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili invited Pope Francis to visit Georgia.
The president extended the invitation during the meeting with
the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, Archbishop
Dominique Mamberti, the Georgian presidential administration
reported.
The two sides discussed the topical issues of Georgian-Vatican
relations and emphasized the importance of intensifying these
ties.
Margvelashvili expressed gratitude to Archbishop Mamberti for
Vatican's support to Georgia's territorial integrity and
sovereignty.
The archbishop, for his part, pointed out that Vatican highly
appreciates the friendly relations with Georgia and will continue
to support this country.
The two sides also had discussions on the fate of Christian
cultural monuments in the occupied regions of Georgia.
Large scale military action was launched between Georgia and Russia
in South Ossetia on August 8, 2008. Later, Russian troops occupied
Tskhinvali and expelled the Georgian military.
Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in
late August. In response, Tbilisi ended diplomatic relations with
Moscow and has called the two unrecognized republics of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia occupied territories.