Georgian Orthodox Leader Ilia II Dies at 93

TBILISI, Georgia — Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, the revered spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church who guided the institution through nearly five decades of revival and national transformation, died Tuesday evening at the age of 93.

Ilia II passed away at the Caucasus Medical Center in Tbilisi following hospitalization earlier that day for severe gastrointestinal bleeding. Medical staff at the facility, where he was admitted in critical condition, were unable to stabilize him despite intensive care. Metropolitan Shio Mujiri, a senior cleric and close associate, announced the death in a live broadcast, describing Ilia II as "an epochal figure" and calling his passing "a tremendous loss for the entire Orthodox Church." Mujiri, who has assumed temporary leadership as locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, extended condolences to Georgians, the church, and the global Christian community.

Born Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili on January 4, 1933, in Vladikavkaz in Russia's North Caucasus region, Ilia II came from a family rooted in Georgia's mountainous Kazbegi district. He entered monastic life in 1957, was ordained a deacon shortly after, and progressed through the church...