Thousands of Georgians poured into the city of Mtskheta amid rumors that the nun had a vision of the saint. The Georgian Orthodox Church has warned believers against making the pilgrimage that coincided with the celebration of Christmas.
The pilgrimage to Mtskheta began last week after rumors spread that the nun had a vision of Fr. Gabriel, who allegedly promised to fulfill two wishes of everyone who visits his grave before Christmas.
Thousands of believers immediately rushed to the city located about 20 kilometers from Tbilisi, thereby creating chaos on the roads and giant queues in front of the grave of an Orthodox monk buried in a local monastery and canonized in 2012. Local police were urgently deployed to regulate traffic and to prevent a crush.
Nun Paraskeva says that Fr. Gabriel appeared to her when she prayed at his grave a few days before Orthodox Christmas:
- When I prayed at the grave of Fr. Gabriel, I had a vision that he would fulfill the wishes of all those who come here to ask for his blessing. This miracle happened and that is why so many people came here.
Despite the nun's subsequent statements that Orthodox believers are always welcome in Mtskheta and that the saint will fulfill everyone's wishes in Georgia, the pilgrims adhered to her initial advice to visit the grave before Christmas.
- The grave of Father Gabriel is very sacred. We came here to be sanctified. We were told that Mother Paraskeva had a vision that we should all come here before Christmas and that Father Gabriel would fulfill our two wishes,”the pilgrim in Mtskheta told Azattyk.
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Observers blame both the media and some clerics for helping to spread rumors that the nun had a vision.
- People who adhere to such mystical beliefs seek help that they do not receive in real life. It is easy to call people obscurantists and uneducated. But news of this vision spread so far that even people from Poti [a port city in western Georgia] came. It is obvious that people in church circles were actively spreading this idea, says philosopher Lela Gaprindashvili.
The Georgian Orthodox Church has urged its parishioners not to spread rumors.
In a statement released on January 6, the patriarchate warned that “God will fulfill only virtuous requests” and stressed that “Father Gabriel's intercession for believers before the Lord” will continue after January 7.