The newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III, has ascended to the patriarch's throne this morning.
Members of the clergy present at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the town of Mtskheta, where the enthronement ceremony is taking place, said that Shio III is now officially the patriarch of Georgia.
The enthronement ceremony, which kicked off at the cathedral on Tuesday morning, involves hierarchs of the Georgian Orthodox Church, members of the Holy Synod and priests.
Georgian President Mikhail Kavelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili while other members of the Georgian cabinet and parliament are also present there. Parishioners gathered in the cathedral yard are watching the ceremony on large screens.
On Monday, a Georgian Orthodox Church meeting took place at the St. Trinity Cathedral in the country’s capital of Tbilisi, with 39 members of the Holy Synod voting for a new patriarch. Shio III, 57, received 22 votes. Notably, he acted as temporary patriarch after Patriarch Ilia II died on March 17.
