Georgia is mourning the passing of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, who died on 17 March 2026 at the age of 93. He had led the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1977, making him one of the longest-serving and most influential religious figures in modern Georgian history. According to reporting on 17–18 March, he died after being admitted to hospital in Tbilisi, and Shio Mujiri has assumed temporary leadership of the Church pending the election of a new patriarch.

Born Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili on 4 January 1933 in what is today Vladikavkaz, he pursued theological studies in Moscow before returning to Georgia and rising through the ranks of the Church. He was elected Catholicos-Patriarch in December 1977 and enthroned on 25 December 1977 at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta.

His patriarchate spanned some of the most decisive decades in Georgia’s recent history: the final Soviet period, the restoration of independence, and the rebuilding of national and spiritual life in the post-Soviet era. Under his leadership, the Georgian Orthodox Church emerged from decades of repression and regained a central place in the life of the nation. Reuters notes that the Church became Georgia’s most respected non-state institution during this period.

For many Georgians, Ilia II was far more than a church leader. He was widely seen as a moral authority, a symbol of continuity, and a figure of national resilience. His long service coincided with a broad religious revival in Georgia, including the strengthening of ecclesiastical life, the renewal of church institutions, and the reaffirmation of Georgia’s historic Christian identity.

His influence was also reflected in the formal relationship between Church and state. The Constitutional Agreement between the State of Georgia and the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia, signed on 14 October 2002 and approved by Parliament on 22 October 2002, recognised the Church’s special historical role in Georgian society.

Ilia II was also known internationally in the wider Christian world. He served as one of the presidents of the World Council of Churches from 1979 to 1983, reflecting both his personal stature and the importance of the Georgian Church beyond the country’s borders.

The death of Ilia II marks the end of an era in Georgia’s modern history. For nearly five decades, he stood at the intersection of faith, identity, and public life. His legacy will remain deeply woven into the story of contemporary Georgia and into the spiritual memory of the Georgian people.

At this solemn moment of mourning, the Honorary Consul of Georgia in Luxembourg extends his deepest condolences to the Georgian Orthodox Church, to the Georgian people, to the faithful in Georgia and abroad, and to all those who grieve the passing of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II. May his memory be eternal.