Patriarch Shio became godfather to more than 600 children
The first mass baptism after the enthronement of the new Primate of the Georgian Church took place in the Holy Trinity Cathedral – more than 600 children received the Sacrament.
Georgian Patriarch Shio became the godfather of more than 600 Georgian children. On June 8, 2026, he personally arrived at the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) in Tbilisi following the completion of the 73rd mass baptism to bless his godchildren. This is reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists of Georgia.
For several hours, the cathedral priests performed the sacrament of Baptism, after which Patriarch Shio arrived and blessed his godchildren. According to tradition, mass baptism in Georgia is performed for third and subsequent children in married families. The current one became the first since the enthronement of the new Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Shio III.
The practice of mass baptisms in the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) is viewed as a form of church support for large families and one of the factors in the country's demographic policy.
Earlier, the Union of Orthodox Journalists wrote that the tradition of mass baptisms in Sameba Cathedral was established on the initiative of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, who headed the Georgian Church until his death. Over all the years, Patriarch Ilia became the godfather of 50 thousand children from different regions of the country.
