The Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II passed away

on March 17, 2026, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II passed away at the 93rd year of his life. The death of the prominent spiritual leader, who led the Church for almost half a century, was officially confirmed by Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri) of Senaki and Chkhorotsk, the Patriarchal Sublate. According to Orthodox Times, the Patriarch died at the Caucasus Medical Center, where he was urgently hospitalized after a sudden deterioration of his health.

Ilia II (in the world — Irakli Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) was born on January 4, 1933 in Vladikavkaz. His path of spiritual ministry began in the late 1950s after studying at the Moscow Theological Seminary and Academy. Having passed through all stages of the church hierarchy, he was elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia on December 25, 1977. His election was the beginning of a transformational era for the Church, which at that time was under severe pressure from Soviet ideology.

During the decades of his ministry Ilia II initiated a process of large-scale revival of Orthodoxy in the country. Under his leadership, the number of churches, monasteries and clergy grew several times over, and in 2002 a historic agreement was signed with President Eduard Shevardnadze, enshrining the Church’s special legal status. The Patriarch also played a key role in civil life: in April 1989 he called for a peaceful resolution of the protests in Tbilisi, and in the 1990s he mediated national reconciliation.

Despite his active international activities, including serving as co-president of the World Council of Churches in 1978-1983, in 1997 Ilia II decided to withdraw the Georgian Orthodox Church from the organization in order to preserve internal unity. The legacy of Patriarch Ilia II will remain in history as a symbol of spiritual fortitude and the revival of the Georgian nation.