Russia hopes for strengthening relations with new Georgian Patriarch

This was reported by Glavkom, citing Russian media.

Dmitry Olisov, head of the Russian Federation’s interests section at the Swiss Embassy in Georgia, congratulated the new Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church following his enthronement and expressed hope for deeper cooperation between the churches of the two countries.

“I hope that your future patriarchal ministry will contribute to strengthening the traditionally trusting ties between the sister churches of Russia and Georgia,” the Russian diplomat stated in his address.

The enthronement of the new Patriarch took place at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. The day before, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, 39 members of the Holy Synod voted for the new head of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitan Shio, 57, who served as locum tenens of the patriarchal throne following the death of Ilia II, received 22 votes to be elected as the new patriarch.

Shio III is considered one of the most controversial figures in the Georgian church hierarchy. Some experts and representatives of the opposition label him as “pro-Russian” due to his long-standing connections with Russian church structures and conservative political circles.

In secular life, Shio III is known as Elizbar Mujiri. He was born in Tbilisi and initially studied cello at the conservatory, but later chose to dedicate himself to the ministry.

The new patriarch received his theological education not only in Georgia but also in Russia. He studied at the Moscow Theological Academy and the St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University of Humanities, where he defended his dissertation in theology in 2015.

Shio III previously served as rector of the Church of St. George the Victorious in Moscow, which is one of the centers of the Georgian Orthodox diaspora in Russia.

Critics of the new patriarch point to his friendship with Georgian businessman Levan Vasadze, who is linked to Russian political circles.

The debate regarding Shio III intensified as early as 2017 when Ilia II appointed him as locum tenens of the patriarchal throne. At that time, some Georgian analysts suggested that Moscow might be influencing internal processes within the Georgian Orthodox Church.

However, supporters of the new patriarch emphasize that his conservative views were formed in the 1990s within Georgia’s monastic circles and do not necessarily indicate political dependence on Russia.

The election of Shio III marked the first change in the leadership of the Georgian Orthodox Church in nearly half a century. His predecessor, Ilia II, had led the Georgian Orthodox Church since Soviet times and was regarded as one of the most influential figures in Georgian society.

As reported, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, congratulated Shio III on his election to the throne.