Newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio III, following the conclusion of the vote at the Sameba Cathedral, stated that he accepts his role as head of the Georgian Orthodox Church “in obedience, with God’s grace and hope.” He spoke these words in response to Metropolitan Anania, chairman of the vote-counting commission for the election of the new head of the GOC, who addressed him and asked whether he accepts the “yoke of the Catholicos-Patriarch.” Following the response, Metropolitan Anania (Japaridze) proclaimed: “Primate of the Holy Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia — His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tskhum-Abkhazia, great lord, our father Shio the Third, Axios!” It should be noted that “Axios” means “worthy” in Greek. Furthermore, the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All […]
Newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio III, following the conclusion of the vote at the Sameba Cathedral, stated that he accepts his role as head of the Georgian Orthodox Church “in obedience, with God’s grace and hope.”
He spoke these words in response to Metropolitan Anania, chairman of the vote-counting commission for the election of the new head of the GOC, who addressed him and asked whether he accepts the “yoke of the Catholicos-Patriarch.”
Following the response, Metropolitan Anania (Japaridze) proclaimed:
“Primate of the Holy Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia — His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tskhum-Abkhazia, great lord, our father Shio the Third, Axios!”
It should be noted that “Axios” means “worthy” in Greek.
Furthermore, Shio Mujiri, the locum tenens (acting head) of the patriarchal throne, was elected as the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia (the 142nd in the country’s history) at the 14th expanded assembly in the Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral on May 11, 2026. From this day forward, he is Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio III.
Up to 1,200 delegates participated in the expanded assembly. Shio Mujiri received 22 votes, Metropolitan Iov received 9, and Metropolitan Grigol received 7 votes.
The enthronement of the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio Mujiri — Shio III — will take place at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta on May 12. According to church statutes, the solemn ceremony of the new head’s inauguration in the Georgian Orthodox Church must take place on the first religious holiday following the conclusion of the vote and the election of the new patriarch.
As a reminder, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II passed away on March 17 at the age of 93. Starting March 18, a civil memorial service was held at the Sameba Cathedral. Thousands of citizens paid their respects to the memory of the Georgian Patriarch. Throughout the mourning period, the flow of people wishing to bid farewell to the head of the GOC was continuous, 24 hours a day.
In many instances, citizens had to wait in line for several hours to enter the cathedral. Some were forced to stay overnight on the grounds of Sameba due to the massive influx of parishioners, in order to enter the cathedral by morning.
Ilia II was buried on March 22 in the Sioni Cathedral.
To organize the funeral and ensure security during the days of mourning, a state commission was established, headed by the Prime Minister of Georgia. The commission included members of the government and three representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Ilia II was elected Catholicos-Patriarch on December 23, 1977. His Holiness’s enthronement took place on December 25, 1977.
The Phenomenon of the Patriarch: The Era of Ilia II in Georgia