Georgian Parliament Speaker: By God’s will, new Patriarch was chosen on the 1 700th anniversary of Christianity in Georgia

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday celebrated the election of His Holiness and Beatitude Shio III, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, emphasising the spiritual and historical significance of this moment.

The speaker highlighted that this transition occurs during a monumental year for the nation - the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity in Georgia.

“Today, on May 11, 2026, by the will of the Lord, in His two-thousand-year-old Church, on the throne of Andrew the First-Called, during the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity in Georgia, a new Patriarch has been chosen - a worthy hierarch among the worthy.

His Holiness and Beatitude Shio III, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia - may the Lord grant that for many years we address the head of the Georgian Church by this very title.

May God’s mercy and grace never depart from him. The Patriarch’s cross is heavy, and bearing it requires special strength and divine assistance.

Congratulations to everyone on this greatest and historic day!

History continues, and Georgia’s 2,000-year-old Church flourishes”, Papuashvili wrote in a social media message.