At the expanded council of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Shio has today been elected as the new, 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.
The new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, shall bear the name Shio III.
The bishops cast their votes amongst three candidates. The results of the ballot were as follows: the locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku (Mujiri) received 22 votes; Metropolitan Iobi of Mroveli-Urbnisi (Akiashvili) received nine votes; and Metropolitan Grigoli of Poti and Khobi (Berbichashvili) received seven votes.
Only members of the Holy Synod were entitled to vote at the expanded council. Thirty-eight members of the Synod participated in the ballot; one vote was declared invalid.
The enthronement of the new Patriarch of Georgia is scheduled for May 12 at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.
