“Today we stand before a historic event - in the context of the storms of modern life, great historical experience, and the legacy of divinely chosen individuals, our choice before God and the nation is especially responsible. At the same time, this duty gives us strength and hope that, with God’s help, the Georgian Orthodox Church, which has always been the unifier of the nation and the guardian of true faith, the Georgian language, traditions, and historical memory, will continue on this path,” said Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri), at the opening of the expanded assembly at the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba Cathedral), where the 142nd Patriarch of Georgia will be elected.

Metropolitan Shio also recalled the legacy of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, noting that respect for his heritage and reflection on the future of the Church obliges them to continue this path through faithful service, love, mutual respect, and unity - values that were always the main concern of His Holiness.

“Today, the Lord has gathered us in this great cathedral of the Holy Trinity with a special mission. Centuries ago, through the lot of the Most Holy Theotokos, began the history of our Church nourished by the love of Christ. Enlightened in the first century by the preaching of the Holy Apostles Andrew the First-Called and Simon the Canaanite, our nation was able to receive the light of Christ. Later, through the labor of Equal-to-the-Apostles Saint Nino, the faith in the Savior was forever sealed in the heart of the Georgian people as an inseparable part of their life.

Seventeen centuries ago, our nation declared Christianity as the state religion, and from that moment the Georgian Orthodox Church became the main pillar of national spiritual unity, identity, culture, state consciousness, and thought. That is why the history of our Church and our nation are so deeply intertwined; that is why our heroic ancestors and holy kings and queens were faithful servants of Christ and examples of true faith.

Among the luminaries of our Church, the service of those clergy stands out who, alongside faithfulness to Christ, served the homeland and the strengthening and preservation of statehood. Today we remember with gratitude and love the Catholicos-Patriarchs of Georgia, including the Holy Martyr Kiryion, Saint Ambrose the Confessor, Saint Callistratus, and other worthy Patriarchs of the 20th century - Leonide, Christophore, Melkisedek III, Ephrem II, David V, and, of course, our dear father, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II.

More than 40 days have passed since his passing. These days have made even clearer the spiritual greatness of His Holiness and the true image of a shepherd who, through his great love and faith, united the nation and guided it toward God. We have often wondered how the Church should face modern challenges and protect its flock and its future. The answers to these questions lie in the wisdom and path laid out by Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II.

There is hardly a field of church life that His Holiness did not care for - bringing the word of God to the people and missionary work, the organization of ecclesiastical and monastic life, liturgical and jurisdictional matters, strengthening church administration, deepening relations between dioceses, reinforcing Church–State relations, developing foreign relations of the Church, caring for diaspora communities and foreign dioceses, supporting education and science, youth upbringing, opening parish schools, restoring Georgian chant and other arts, protecting family values, and praying especially for the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.

This is how his life and half a century of tireless patriarchal service are inscribed in our memory. Respect for his legacy and concern for the future of the Church obliges us to continue this path with faithful service, love, mutual respect, and unity - always the primary concern of His Holiness.

Today we stand before a historic event. Gathered in this great cathedral, we are fully entrusted to divine providence to elect in unity and harmony the new shepherd of the autocephalous Apostolic Orthodox Church of Georgia. In the context of modern challenges, historical experience, and the service of divinely chosen individuals, our responsibility before God and the nation is especially great.

At the same time, this duty gives us strength and hope that, with God’s help, the Georgian Orthodox Church - always the unifier of the nation, the guardian of true faith, the Georgian language, traditions, and historical memory - will continue on this path.

Thanks be to God that today, gathered here in peace and unity, we continue to serve the Church and the nation. ‘May the Lord give strength unto His people; may the Lord bless His people with peace,’” Metropolitan Shio concluded.