Thousands of Georgians are paying their final respects to Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia at his coffin in the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) in Tbilisi.
The transfer of the patriarch’s coffin from the Patriarchal Residence drew large crowds in a solemn procession through the streets of Tbilisi.
According to Orthodoxia News Agency, senior state officials attended, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, as well as members of the government and parliament.
The cathedral where the patriarch’s body lies has remained open to the public continuously.
‘We Truly Feel Orphaned’
Metropolitan Shio Mujiri of Senaki and Chkhorotsku, locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, spoke of the immense loss caused by the patriarch’s death.
“Today, every believer feels orphaned. We felt so deeply the fatherly love of Patriarch Ilia II—his care, his strength, the power of God manifested in his ministry—that we are truly grieved and bereft,” he said.
“I share my own feelings and experiences. I know that most of our brothers and sisters feel this loss in the same way. Yet we are comforted by God’s mercy and by the great legacy of service that His Beatitude has left us.”
He added that the patriarch’s passing is a loss for all of Christianity.
“I extend to each of you my sincere condolences. He had a remarkable quality: his fatherly love, the breadth of his vision, his thought and prayer embraced all of Georgia and, at the same time, every person who came into contact with him.”
Patriarch Ilia II reposed in the Lord on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, at the age of 93.
Georgia has declared a period of national mourning until the day of the funeral, scheduled for Sunday.
The Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church has initiated procedures for electing a new patriarch in accordance with Church statutes. Metropolitan Shio is serving as locum tenens during the interim period.
Photo: Facebook / Georgian Patriarchate
