Tbilisi, March 17, 2026
Photo: jam-news.net
His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, the 93-year-old primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, has been urgently hospitalized after a sudden deterioration of health overnight.
He is receiving treatment at the Caucasus Medical Center. His condition is critical but stable, according to an announcement from the Georgian Patriarchate.
According to Sofo Aspanidze, the director of the medical center, His Holiness was admitted with massive bleeding from the stomach, though the center was able to stop the bleeding.
“Doctors are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of the patient as much as possible. Of course, given his age and everything else, the situation isn’t easy. The patient is currently in the intensive care unit, being monitored and all necessary measures are being taken to ensure that all vital parameters are maintained as quickly as possible,” Minister of Health Mikheil Sarjveladze told the media.
The Georgian Church calls upon all to join in prayer for Pat. Ilia.
Pat. Ilia was installed as head of the Georgian Church on December 25, 1977, and there has been a great revival of Orthodoxy under his care.
At the time of his enthronement, there were 15 dioceses and only 30 active churches left thanks to communist persecutions. Today there are 47 dioceses and about 2,000 active parishes, as well as about 3,000 clergy.
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