The expanded council of the Georgian Orthodox Church will be held on May 11, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, according to the Patriarchate’s Public Relations Service.

The Patriarchate stated that additional organizational and technical details regarding the council will be announced later.

The announcement follows the session of the Holy Synod held on April 28, during which three candidates were selected for the Patriarchal Throne.

The candidates are Shio (Mujiri), Metropolitan of Senaki and Chkhorotsku and Patriarchal Locum Tenens; Iobi (Akiashvili), Metropolitan of Mroveli-Urbnisi; and Grigoli (Berbichashvili), Metropolitan of Poti and Khobi.

According to the Patriarchate, Shio received 20 votes during the Synod session, while the other two candidates each received 7 votes.

Under the statute governing the Georgian Orthodox Church, the three candidates who receive the most votes at the Synod advance to the expanded council. If no candidate secures more than half of the votes during the first round, a second round is held between the top two candidates.

Only hierarchs participate in the vote to elect the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. The candidate receiving more than half of the votes cast by participating hierarchs is elected Patriarch.

The election procedure is regulated by the statute adopted at the 13th Expanded Council of the Georgian Orthodox Church, held at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral on September 18–19, 1995.