The Georgian Orthodox Church’s expanded council will elect Georgia’s 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch today, May 11. The council will be held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral [Sameba Cathedral], at 13:00.

Some 1,200 delegates are expected to attend the ecclesiastical assembly. The session will include addresses by candidates, as well as speeches from delegates representing various eparchies. A scholar will also deliver a historical overview relating to the title of Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia.

The Georgian Public Broadcaster will partially broadcast the expanded Church council [opening of the assembly, as well as the voting process, will be aired live; the proceedings will be suspended during the counting of votes, and the final result will be announced on air].

Attendance at the ecclesiastical council inside the Sameba Cathedral will be restricted to those appearing on approved lists, drawn up in accordance with the provisions of the Church’s governing statutes. No such restrictions apply to the cathedral grounds - anyone wishing to be present in the courtyard of the Cathedral during the council is welcome to do so.

Only bishops are entitled to participate in the vote to elect the Catholicos-Patriarch. The candidate who receives more than half of the votes cast by the participating bishops, in this instance, 20 votes, shall be deemed elected as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

Should no candidate obtain an outright majority, a second round of voting will be held, in which only the two candidates who received the greatest number of votes in the first round will participate.

The candidates for Catholicos-Patriarch are: the locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku (Mujiri); Metropolitan Iobi of Mroveli-Urbnisi (Akiashvili); and Metropolitan Grigoli of Poti and Khobi (Berbichashvili).

The date of the new Patriarch’s enthronement will be announced today. The elected Patriarch himself shall decide the date of the enthronement.