A call for unity became the theme of the Easter speech before the elections of the Catholicos of Georgia.

The Church and its flock must remain united and avoid schism, according to the Easter message of the Georgian Orthodox Church. It was issued against the backdrop of the upcoming election of the Catholicos of Georgia following the death of Ilia II.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinti and Tskhum-Abkhazeti, was buried in Tbilisi on the fifth day of national mourning. During this time, entertainment events were canceled across the country, while a steady stream of people flocked to the coffin of the head of the Church around the clock.

For the first time in nearly half a century, the Easter message of the Georgian Orthodox Church was read not by Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, but by the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri) of Senaki and Chkhorotsku. The epistle, read on the eve of Easter Sunday in Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi, went beyond the traditional greeting and sounded like a programmatic text at a turning point for the Church, writes Novosti Georgia.

Shio spoke of the "orphaned" state of the flock after the death of the patriarch. The image of the late patriarch occupies a central place in the message.

"Even after his death, His Holiness the Patriarch seems to continue to convert, unite, and preach to the people. It can safely be said that Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, following in the footsteps of his predecessors and performing God-pleasing deeds, has breathed new life into the Georgian Orthodox Church. His teachings and merits live on in every believer whose hearts, turned to God, unanimously glorify the Risen Savior," the Locum Tenens' words are quoted in the message.

The message is couched in strictly ecclesiastical rhetoric, but contains a clear subtext. With the Holy Synod soon to determine candidates for patriarch and elect a new primate, the emphasis on unity, mutual support, prayer, and love sounds like a call to avoid schism. Shio thanked the entire nation for their mass unity during the farewell to Ilia II and offers this rare moment of national consensus as a model for the future:

"It is precisely mutual support, prayer, unity, and love that guarantee that we will worthily continue our church and state life," he noted.

Ilia II appointed Metropolitan Shio as his locum tenens during his lifetime. This status gives him the right to preside over the synod and organize the election process, but does not guarantee election; he participates in them on a general basis. The Holy Synod (39 bishops) has not yet been able to finalize the candidate criteria, based on the 1995 statutes (age from 40 to 70 years and theological education). Some hierarchs do not have formal seminary education, and the age limit is controversial. The decision has been postponed until the next meeting, where three candidates are also planned to be named. The church council may tentatively take place on April 24, the agency added.

Ilia II led the Georgian Orthodox Church for nearly five decades. He held the throne during the period of stagnation, perestroika, the collapse of the USSR, independence, and civil and territorial wars.

National mourning was declared in Georgia in connection with the death of Patriarch Ilia II on March 17. Ilia II (January 4, 1933 - March 17, 2026) - Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, held this post for 49 years, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi. In the worldly realm, Irakli Georgievich Gudushauri-Shiolashvili, according to the biographical note prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The final election will take place at an expanded meeting in Sameba with the participation of thousands of clergy, monastics, and laypeople. To win the synod, the support of at least 20 members is necessary, the agency emphasized.