The widely perceived front-runner to replace Ilia II is believed to favor the strengthening of ties between the country’s Georgian Dream leadership and Russia. From Eurasianet.
The Georgian Orthodox Church is preparing to select a new patriarch following the death of Ilia II, the longest-serving prelate of the world’s oldest Christian denomination.
Ilia II, one of the Georgia’s most influential public figures, died at the age of 93 on 17 March and was buried in Sioni Cathedral, in the heart of Tbilisi’s Old Town, five days later.
With Ilia II’s burial, attention now is shifting to the question of succession. The new Catholicos-Patriarch will be elected by a Holy Synod, currently composed of 39 bishops. The selection must occur within two months, and the new patriarch will need to receive at least 20 votes of synod members.
Ilia II previously named Metropolitan Shio Mujiri to act as the church’s interim leader, serving until the selection process for the new patriarch is completed. Mujiri’s present role is widely seen as positioning him as the front-runner to formally succeed Ilia II.
Mujiri is closely associated with ruling Georgian Dream party circles. He has frequently appeared at party events and is known to be friendly with Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream’s billionaire impresario. The warm relationship was on display during the funeral ceremonies for Ilia II.
Broadly speaking, observers do not expect major shifts in the church’s direction, as most senior clerics are seen as broadly aligned with the current government.
Mujiri underwent his theological training in Russia, and is viewed by some observers as an advocate for close ties with Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. Gocha Mirtskhulava, a leading Georgian expert on church polity, said in an interview published by the Jamestown Foundation in 2017, “Metropolitan Shio is well known for his pro-Russian aspirations,” adding that he did not support the independence of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church from the Moscow Patriarchate.
Full article here