The Expanded Church Council of the Georgian Orthodox Church, held in the Tbilisi Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Sameba), on May 11, 2026, elected Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chorotskui, Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, as the 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.
The Council was attended by 39 bishops, members of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who participated in the voting. About 1,200 delegates from all over the country gathered from 47 dioceses to participate in the Council.
The solemn enthronement of the newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia will take place on May 12, 2026 in the Tbilisi Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
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Metropolitan Elizbar Teimurazovich Mujiri of Senaki and Chkhorotskui Shio was born on February 1, 1969 in Tbilisi.
In 1991, he graduated from three courses at the Tbilisi Conservatory and entered the Shio-Mgvim Monastery as a novice. On January 5, 1993, he was tonsured a monk. He was ordained a hierodeacon in 1995 and a hieromonk in 1996. At various times in the monastery, he performed the duties of a trapezar, a housekeeper, a dean and an employee of a hieromonk.
In 1999, he graduated from the Batumi Seminary, then continued his education at the Moscow Theological Academy and St. Tikhon's Orthodox University of the Humanities, graduating in 2005.
In 2001-2003, he served as rector of the Georgian parish in the Moscow Church of the Russian Orthodox Church. St. George in the Georgians.
On August 18, 2003, he was elected and ordained Bishop of Senak and Chorotskui on September 7.
On April 30, 2009, he was appointed Administrator of Georgian parishes in Australia and New Zealand.
On August 2, 2010, he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.
Since 2010, he has been a member of the Commission for the Canonization of saints of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
In 2013, he defended his master's thesis at St. Tikhon's Orthodox University for the Humanities on the topic "Reverend Alexy (Shushaniya), the historical context of his life and spiritual and pastoral legacy", and in 2015 - his PhD thesis "Reverend Alexy Senaksky (Shushaniya), the historical context of his life and spiritual and pastoral legacy (Chronological framework: The 70s of the XIX century — the beginning of the XX century)".
In 2017, he was appointed Patriarchal Locum Tenens.
He accompanied His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II during his visit to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2011.