Representative of the Georgian Patriarchate: Patriarch elections will be held in an exemplary manner

The Georgian Orthodox Church has officially set the date for the extended Synod, which will elect a new Primate. The historic meeting will take place on Monday, May 11, 2026, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi.

According to Orthodoxia News Agency, preparations for the election of a successor to the late Ilia II, who led the Church for almost 50 years, have entered the final stage. Protopresbyter Andrei Jagmaidze, head of the Patriarchate of Georgia’s public relations service, said the Synod is striving to conduct the procedure in an exemplary manner, ruling out any technical or procedural delays.

The expanded Synod will be attended by more than 1,500 people, including two representatives from each diocese and three from each monastery. Despite their right to attend, enshrined in the Statutes, it has been decided not to hold public discussions during the meeting in order to focus solely on the voting of the 39 members of the Holy Synod.

So far, a list of three candidates has been approved: Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chhorotsku, Metropolitan Job of Ruthenia and Urbnisi, and Metropolitan Grigori of Poti and Khoba. According to the rules, if one of the candidates receives more than 50% of the votes (at least 20), he will be considered elected. Otherwise, there will be a second round between the two leaders of the vote.

Commenting on rumors of possible conflicts within the episcopate, Father Andrew emphasized: «Despite emotional comments in the press, the Synod was unanimous. Attempts to portray a conflict between bishops are unrealistic.» No live broadcast of the election is planned, but materials about the process will be provided to the media. The date of enthronement will be determined by the new Patriarch immediately after his election.