TBILISI, April 29 – Georgia’s Orthodox Church has narrowed the race for its next patriarch to three candidates, opening the final stage in the selection of a successor to Ilia II.
The Holy Synod met on Tuesday, April 28, at the Patriarchate residence in Tbilisi and selected three candidates for the expanded church meeting that will choose the next Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.
The three candidates are Metropolitan Shio Mujiri, the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne and Metropolitan of Senaki and Chkhorotsku; Metropolitan Iob Akiashvili of Mroveli-Urbnisi; and Metropolitan Grigol Berbichashvili of Poti and Khobi.
According to the protocol published by the Patriarchate, Shio received 20 votes. Iob and Grigol received seven votes each. Three other candidates were also on the ballot: Bishop Melkisedek Khachidze of Margveti and Ubisi, who received no votes; Bishop Dosite Bogveradze of Belgium and the Netherlands, who received one vote; and Bishop Grigol Katsia of Tsalka, who received two votes. One ballot was declared invalid because no candidate was marked.
The Synod meeting began with a memorial service for Ilia II, who died on March 17 and was buried on March 22 at Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi. Shio opened the meeting and presented the agenda.
The protocol also shows that there had been disagreement over the rules on the age and education required for patriarchal candidates. After discussion, a majority of the Holy Synod voted to stop further debate on those issues. Metropolitan Nikoloz Pachuashvili of Akhalkalaki, Kumurdo and Kari had a different opinion.
The Synod said that, until a new Catholicos-Patriarch is elected, it does not have the authority to amend or reinterpret the 1995 church statute on the management and governance of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The decision has already triggered public debate. Theologian Levan Abashidze told PalitraNews that Shio’s strong lead was unexpected, but said Ilia II’s decision in 2017 to appoint him locum tenens was likely decisive. He said the Synod did not allow the selection process to be framed as a choice between “pro-Western” and “pro-Russian” candidates.
Metropolitan Stephane said the church had no practical experience of electing a patriarch and that there had been “some anxiety” around the process. He said he had withdrawn his own candidacy because of Shio, citing Ilia II’s trust in him.
Analyst Lela Jejelava offered a sharply different reading, saying the Synod had missed a chance to change Georgia’s course. She said she did not expect a major surprise in the final patriarchal election.
The Patriarchate later also published an address by Metropolitan Isaia of Nikozi and Tskhinvali to the Synod, in which he argued that the education requirement for patriarchal candidates should not be viewed only in formal terms and said he wanted to put forward his own candidacy.
