Shio Mujiri elected the 142nd Patriarch of Georgia
New Patriarch of Georgia
The assembly of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which met at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, elected Shio Mujiri by 22 votes as Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Pitsunda, Sukhumi and Abkhazia, and Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.
The new Patriarch took the name Shio III.
Iob Akhaladze received nine votes, while Grigol Berbichashvili received seven. One ballot was left blank.
The enthronement ceremony of the new Patriarch will take place on 12 May 2026 at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Shio Mujiri, the newly elected 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, announced. The service is scheduled to begin at 10:00.
Ilia II died on 17 March 2026 at the age of 93, after which the Georgian Orthodox Church began the process of electing a new patriarch.
What is known about Shio Mujiri?
The 57-year-old Metropolitan Shio Mujiri has long been seen as the official successor to Ilia II, a position he has effectively held for the past nine years. His background helps explain why his candidacy has generated so much debate.
Born in Tbilisi, he studied cello at the conservatory before taking monastic vows at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery. He later spent significant time in Moscow, where he led the Georgian community and studied the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church.
“Metropolitan Shio often repeats the core ideas of Russia’s conservative narrative. If we look at some of his sermons about the role of women and compare them with what is being promoted in the Russian Church, the similarities are almost identical,” said theologian Mirian Gamrekelashvili.
Particular attention has focused on an episode in 2017. Shortly before Shio Mujiri was named as the patriarch’s successor, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev arrived in Georgia. At the time, he was widely seen as Patriarch Kirill’s right-hand man and effectively headed the foreign relations department of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Any connection between the visit and Shio’s appointment remains speculative, and the Georgian Patriarchate has strongly denied such claims.
Alfeyev himself later ran into trouble. In 2022, he was removed from his post, and in 2024 — amid a scandal involving property and blackmail allegations — he was temporarily suspended from leading the Budapest diocese.
There is another controversial episode linked to Shio. In 2023, “heavy metals” were reportedly found in his blood. A criminal investigation was launched on suspicion of attempted murder, and the case remains open.
For Shio’s supporters, the 22 votes he received are proof of his strength. For critics, they are a sign of fragility.
“Almost half of the Synod did not support the patriarch. It is a fragile majority,” said Levan Sutidze, editor of the online outlet Tabula and a commentator on religious affairs.
New Patriarch of Georgia
