In a sermon, the locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne and Metropolitan of Senaki and Chkhorotsku Shio Mujiri stated that only through divine grace can the upcoming major ecclesiastical event be conducted “dignifiedly and successfully.”

According to him, the event is an expanded church council that will elect a new Catholicos-Patriarch.

“We should pray to God to grant us this grace, this living water, so that we are able to make a wise and prudent decision, according to God’s will, beneficial for our Church and our nation,” Mujiri said.

He noted that, 49 years after the election of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, many good deeds had been accomplished for the Church and the country, and expressed hope that the upcoming vote would continue Ilia II’s legacy of “faithfulness to the Orthodox Church, service to God, love for the people, unity, peace, and selfless service.”

“May God bless, strengthen, and unify the whole of Georgia,” he added.

The expanded council of the Georgian Orthodox Church, at which the new Patriarch will be elected, is scheduled to take place tomorrow, May 11, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi.