Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia reposes in the Lord
Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia. Photo: UOJ
Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia departed to the Lord on March 17, 2026, at the age of 93. His repose was reported by the UOJ in Georgia.
According to available information, late in the evening of March 17, the Patriarch was taken to the Caucasus Medical Center due to severe gastric bleeding. He spent several hours in intensive care on a ventilator while the medical team worked on his treatment. Despite the intensive medical care provided to him, they were unable to save him.
Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri) addressed journalists, calling the departed Primate an "epochal figure" and emphasizing that his passing became "a tremendous loss for the entire Orthodox Church."
"An entire epoch has ended... Through him, through his grace, God returned Georgia to the true faith," noted the hierarch, expressing condolences to the entire Georgian people, clergy, and faithful.
Metropolitan Shio will serve as locum tenens of the patriarchal throne until the election of a new Patriarch.
The Georgian Church emphasized that Patriarch Ilia II had been the spiritual father of the people for decades, contributing to the revival of church life and strengthening of faith, and also became a symbol of unity and spiritual revival of the country.
The faithful pray for the repose of the soul of the newly departed Primate and ask for his heavenly intercession for Georgia and the entire Orthodox world.
"On behalf of Orthodox journalists, we express our condolences to his family and all of Georgia. May the Lord grant him eternal rest among the saints and the righteous," states the message from the Union of Orthodox Journalists editorial office.
The Georgian television channel "Mtavari Arkhi" is broadcasting live from near the hospital building, where believers began to gather upon learning of Patriarch Ilia's passing.
As the UOJ reported, the Patriarch of Georgia was placed in a medically induced coma and connected to a ventilator.
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