The meeting of the Holy Synod was opened by the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, the Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II.

At the beginning of the meeting was read the prayer of St. Ambrose of Milan: "You praise God, confess to You Lord!" In his opening speech the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia reviewed the situation of the Church since his enthronement until today. He noted that if not the help and the grace of Lord it would be very hard to overcome all the difficulties and would not be possible the construction and restoration of many churches and monasteries, the crown of which is the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity.

After the speech of the Catholicos-Patriarch, the meeting of the Holy Synod addressed the following questions:

I. The study of life of the suffered for their faith clerics and lay people during the communist regime and their subsequent canonization; The Holy Synod decided: To charge Commission on Canonization study the lives of such people and to present the issue of their canonization on next meeting of the Holy Synod;

II. Many people have witnessed many miracles during the life and after death of Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze). They appealed to the Holy Synod with the request of the canonization of Archimandrite Gabriel. The Holy Synod has studied the issue and decided: the Holy Synod considers his activities, accomplishments of numerous miracles at his grave, universal love and acceptance and unanimously decides: 1. To rank the Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze) as the saint, and to call him - the Holy Father Gabriel the Confessor.  2. To open his grave and rebury him in the Cathedral of Samtavro, to write his icon, to describe his life and write his Troparion and Kontakion. 3. To designate the day of his commemoration - October 20 (November 2);

III. The Holy Synod received from the public a description of the lives of several clerics operating in XIX-XX centuries, and the request for consideration of their canonization. The Holy Synod decided: To charge Commission on Canonization study the issue and give an opinion to the Holy Synod for later discussion;

IV. The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia raised the question of the Educational Center. After a brief presentation by the Chairman of the Educational Centre the Metropolitan John, the Holy Synod decided: Educational Centre should systematically provide the Catholicos-Patriarch and the Holy Synod with the complete information about the work done in the field of education.

V. The Holy Synod considered the state Georgialogy in foreign research centers. Condition was described as poor. The Holy Synod decided: The Georgian University of St. Andrew at the Patriarchate of Georgia should create the center, which together with the Academy of Sciences of Georgia, the State University of Ivane Dzhavakhishvili and other educational institutions, will work on the establishment in foreign universities of centers of Georgialogy that will promote fair presentation of the Georgian history, science, and other important issues internationally.

VI. The Holy Synod asked the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II and unanimously decided: In connection with the 80th anniversary and the 35th anniversary of the enthronement, considering his great services to the Georgian Apostolic Church and the Homeland, to award the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop Mtskheta and Tbilisi, the Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II with the highest honor of the Georgian Church: Golden Order of St. George.

December 20, 2012.