The newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III, has arrived at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta for his official enthronement ceremony.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing reports from TASS, the ceremony is attended by bishops of the Georgian Orthodox Church, members of the Holy Synod, and various clergy members. Representatives from the Georgian government and parliament, as well as members of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country—including Dmitry Olisov, head of the Russian Interests Section at the Swiss Embassy in Tbilisi—are also in attendance.
The proceedings began with a religious service dedicated to St. Andrew the First-Called, followed by the formal enthronement. During the ritual, Shio III will be vested in the traditional red patriarchal robe, receive the patriarchal skufia adorned with a cross, and be presented with the patriarchal staff.
Shio III, 57, was elected on Monday during an expanded meeting of the Georgian Church at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, where he secured 22 votes from the 39-member Holy Synod. He had been serving as the patriarchal locum tenens following the death of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II on March 17. The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the venue for the ceremony, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has historically served as the site for the coronation of Georgian monarchs and the enthronement of its religious leaders for centuries.
