Saakashvili Receives Blessing from Catholicos-Patriarch

Georgian President-elect Mikheil Saakashvili took a spiritual oath on the Bible and received a blessing from Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II today at the Gelati Cathedral in western Georgia. 

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Cathedral to attend the ceremony, which is broadcasted live by the Georgian TV channels.

The official part of the inauguration of the new president will be held on January 25 in Tbilisi, where Saakashvili will take a constitutional oath and in Poti and Batumi, where Saakashvili will attend the military parades. The march of the Georgian troops will be held in the capital city as well.