Parents of Children With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Meet New Patriarch
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Parents of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy met with Patriarch Shio III at the Patriarchate on May 19, with the Church committing to working-format meetings with specialists as a first step toward addressing the long-running issue of access to medication.
The Patriarchate said senior clergy, including the Chancellor of the Catholicos-Patriarch Metropolitan Theodor, several other mitropolits, and the General Director of the St. Joachim and Anna Medical Center, attended the meeting. It said the issue "is not well studied in Georgia and requires more attention and coordinated work at medical, social, and institutional levels." It was decided that initial working-format meetings would be held with specialists, involving the Patriarchate, the Patriarchal University Clinic, relevant experts, and other interested parties, with emphasis placed on effective communication and cooperation with state institutions.
Zakhro Gvishiani, a parent of an affected child, described the meeting as productive and said the delegation provided the Patriarch and bishops with full information about the disease and available medications, including correcting what he described as incorrect information spread by certain individuals. He said the Patriarch committed to reaching out to all relevant parties, including doctors and officials, and that plans were outlined for possible Church involvement, including in the creation of a fund. The Patriarch also mentioned that children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy would be periodically blessed.
"We hope that the Patriarchate will take concrete steps and that decisions will be reached as soon as possible regarding the issues we have been raising for a long time, meaning access to medication," Gvishiani said.
