Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio III on June 7 conducted a mass baptism of up to 700 children, continuing the tradition established by his predecessor, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, Sova News writes.

The ceremony took place at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi. This was the first time that Shio III personally performed a sacrament of such scale.

After the rite was completed, the Catholicos-Patriarch addressed the faithful with a sermon and blessed his new godchildren.

Recall that the tradition of mass baptisms was introduced in 2008 by Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II in order to support the country’s demographic situation. He personally became the godfather of every third and subsequent child in large families.

Since then, such ceremonies have been held several times a year and have become an important spiritual event for many Georgian families. For many, participation in a baptism performed by the Patriarch is considered a special honor.

According to the church, over the years of this practice Ilia II has become godfather to more than 50,000 children.