Patriarch Bartholomew announced the visit of the Primate of the Georgian Church to the Phanar

On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, an official meeting took place between Georgy Jincharadze, head of the government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia in exile, and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The parties discussed a number of pressing issues, paying particular attention to interchurch cooperation and the upcoming visit of Georgian Patriarch Shio to the Phanar. This was reported by Orthodox Times.

During the conversation, Giorgi Jincharadze emphasized how deeply the Georgian people were moved by the visit of the Patriarch of Constantinople to Tbilisi to conduct a memorial service for the late Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II. Patriarch Bartholomew, in turn, spoke warmly of the late Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

A key topic of discussion was the strengthening of ties with the late patriarch’s successor, the current Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Shio III of Georgia. The parties noted the importance of Patriarch Shio III’s upcoming visit to the Phanar. Also present at the meeting were Archimandrite Elias Jinjolava, representatives of the Abkhazian government, and Alexander Jishkariani, the Consul General of Georgia in Constantinople.

As a reminder, on July 18, 2026, a meeting took place at the Phanar between Patriarch Bartholomew and a group of children accompanied by representatives of the Georgian government delegation. During the visit, issues of state-church relations of mutual interest were discussed.