The Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia named his locum tenens today. Ilia the II congratulated Shio Mujiri, the Metropolitan of the Senaki and Chkhorotsku .

Metropolitan Shio made an announcement as well. According to him, this is a great responsibility.

According to the Metropolitan, the decision of Ilia II was unexpected for him.

"It was really unexpected for me, I was very excited. On the one hand, it is a great pleasure that his holiness has honoured me, on the other hand, it is a heavy cross,"- he said.