Salome Zourabichvili, the fifth president of Georgia, congratulated the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III, and expressed hope that he would continue the path of the Georgian Church aimed at strengthening independence and consolidating society. In a video address released from France, the politician called on the new head of the GPC (Georgian Orthodox Church) to pardon all those imprisoned following the dispersal of pro-European protest rallies—the so-called “prisoners of conscience”—which, according to Zourabichvili, would allow society to “start with a clean slate.” “I greet you from Paris, from the National Assembly of France, where a new resolution on the issue of Georgia is planned to be adopted tonight. The vote will take place this evening, and I will be present. But on such a day, it is impossible not to respond to the election […]
Salome Zourabichvili, the fifth president of Georgia, congratulated the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III, and expressed hope that he would continue the path of the Georgian Church aimed at strengthening independence and consolidating society.
In a video address released from France, the politician called on the new head of the GPC to pardon all those imprisoned following the dispersal of pro-European protest rallies—the so-called “prisoners of conscience”—which, according to Zourabichvili, would allow society to “start with a clean slate.”
“I greet you from Paris, from the National Assembly of France, where a new resolution on the issue of Georgia is planned to be adopted tonight. The vote will take place this evening, and I will be present.
But on such a day, it is impossible not to respond to the election of the new Patriarch, not to congratulate him on his election, and not to express the wish that the new Patriarch continues the path that is the path of the Georgian Church—the path of strengthening independence and consolidating society.
To this end, there is one step I would like to see and, I am sure, this wish is shared by many: for the Patriarch to take the first step and pardon all prisoners of conscience. This way, we can start everything with a clean slate,” Zourabichvili stated.
It should be noted that Shio Mudzhiri, the locum tenens 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 took part in the expanded assembly. Shio Mudzhiri received 22 votes, Metropolitan Job—9, and Metropolitan Grigol—7 votes.
The enthronement of the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio Mudzhiri—Shio III—will take place at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta on May 12. According to church statutes, the solemn ceremony for the new head to take office in the Georgian Orthodox Church must take place on the first religious holiday following the conclusion of voting 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. From March 18, a lying-in-state 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 say goodbye to the head of the GPC was continuous, 24 hours a day.
In many cases, citizens had to stand in line for several hours to enter the cathedral. Some had to stay overnight on the grounds of Sameba due to the large 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 mourning days, a state commission was established, headed by the Prime Minister of Georgia and including 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.
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