Today, on May 25, at Tbilisi
Theological Academy and Seminary, Doctor of Theology and Philology,
Professor, Archpriest Bidzina Gunia shared his impressions of his
visit to Poland.
The visit to Poland, as part of
Erasmus+program, began on May 16 and lasted until May 20 of the
current year. Father Bidzina delivered a lecture at Warsaw Academy
of Christian Theology on the topic: “The Teaching on the Holy
Trinity and the Two Natures of Jesus Christ According to the Texts
of the Orthodox Church on Hymnography”.
Warsaw Academy of Christian
Theology is distinguished by the fact that people of three
denominations are involved in the programs of this educational
institution - the old Catholics, the Protestants and the Orthodox.
For every four years, the rectors at this school are appointed
alternately according to these confessions. Currently, the Rector
of the Academy is Archbishop of Wroclaw and Szczecin George
Pankovsky with whom Father Bidzina had a cordial meeting. This
educational institution is located in a building equipped with
modern infrastructure which has an electronic library, linguistic
cabinets for learning foreign languages.
At the request of the
Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland, His Beatitude Sawa, a
liturgical theme was selected for discussion. The lecture was given
in Russian while the liturgical texts were read in the Slavic
language. The meeting was concluded with an interesting
discussion.
In the Chapel of SS. Cyril and
Methodius, where members of Georgian diaspora waited for him,
Father Bidzina offered an Akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God.
He also offered prayers in the Warsaw Cathedral of Saint Mary
Magdalen and the Chapel of Saint Grigol Peradze. In the chapel, he
met with its Dean, Father Henrik Paprotsky who is also a researcher
working on Saint Grigol Peradze’s life and a great friend of the
Georgian nation.
Archpriest Bidzina Gunia conveyed
to his colleagues the greeting of the Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw
and All Poland.
Father Bidzina noted that his
visit to Poland had been fruitful from the scientific point of view
and also from the point of view of personal relations. In addition,
he expressed his hope that the partnership between Warsaw Academy
of Christian Theology and our school would continue in the
future.