The Orthodox Church's resurgence began in the 1990s with the collapse of the USSR. Now Georgia's liberal politicians want alignment with Europe and the US to allow the country to overcome its past and become an independent nation. Some are accusing the Orthodox Church of using schools to breed religious conservatives with beliefs aligned to Putin's Russia. More than 80% of Georgians call themselves Orthodox, with the young amongst the most religious. The church's conservative message is at odds with Georgia’s liberal, pro-Western direction. An example of school/church activity is in the village of Terjola. The Head Teacher often brings in Terjola’s priest to work with the children and she wants to have a school prayer room. On her desk is a large photograph of Patriarch Ilia II, the head of Georgia's Orthodox Church and the country's most popular public figure.