The United States extends its most heartfelt congratulations to the Georgian Orthodox Church and its faithful on the election of His Holiness and Beatitude Shio III as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Georgia.

“This is a historic occasion as the first election of a Patriarch since Georgia regained its independence. We wish him great success and look forward to engaging the Georgian Orthodox Church—one of the world’s oldest Christian denominations—on the advancement of our shared cultural and civilizational objectives,” reads the statement.