The Gakharia for Georgia party offers its heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Shio III on his election as the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

“We warmly congratulate Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church on the election of the new Catholicos-Patriarch. We wish His Holiness Shio III every success in his most vital mission of spiritual renewal and strengthening of the nation.

We trust that the Georgian Church will continue to serve as a pillar of peace, unity, and solidarity,” states the message from the Gakharia for Georgia party.

The expanded council of the Georgian Orthodox Church, attended by a wider representation, elected Metropolitan Shio as the 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia.

The bishops cast their votes amongst three candidates. The results of the ballot were as follows: the locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku (Mujiri) received 22 votes; Metropolitan Iobi of Mroveli-Urbnisi (Akiashvili) received nine votes; and Metropolitan Grigoli of Poti and Khobi (Berbichashvili) received seven votes.