The Georgian Orthodox Church has elected a new Catholicos-Patriarch. The 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia has become Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne and Metropolitan of Senaki and Chkhorotsku, Shio (Mujiri).
Metropolitan Shio received 22 votes.
As for the other Patriarchal candidates:
Metropolitan Iobi of the Urbnisi and Ruisi Diocese received 9 votes;
Metropolitan Grigoli of Poti and Khobi received 7 votes.
One ballot was invalidated.
The Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia was elected during the expanded ecclesiastical assembly of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
As a reminder, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, passed away on March 17, 2026, at the age of 93, after which the issue of electing a new head of the Georgian Orthodox Church was placed on the agenda.
