Metropolitan Antonios of Vani and Baghdati, in a post on social media, addresses the process for the election of the new Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
In his text, he seeks, on the one hand, to clearly inform about the stages of the electoral procedure and, on the other, to allay concerns regarding possible external interference.
Read below the message of Metropolitan Antonios of Vani and Baghdati:
At this very moment, I had begun compiling the list (with full details) of those who will participate in the expanded assembly from the dioceses of Vani and Baghdati, when at the same time I turned on the television.
At that very moment, those individuals appeared who, after the repose of His Holiness and Beatitude, are “with great sorrow” involved in matters concerning the election of the next Catholicos-Patriarch.
It is entirely understandable that the election of a new Patriarch constitutes an event of the utmost importance in the life of the Church, and this is true everywhere, not only in Georgia.
Before I explain, in my own way, what is going to take place on April 28, I wish first of all to address everyone:
All the Hierarchs call upon you to remain calm and not to make a storm in a teacup.
None of us will allow external interference. And if anything of the sort is observed, I assure you that we will not participate in the electoral process.
Everyone must understand where they stand and what the limits of their authority are.
Allow me, therefore, to explain the electoral procedure simply.
The process of selecting a Patriarchal candidate is divided into two stages.
The first stage of the Patriarchal elections will take place on April 28, during the session of the Holy Synod.
At this session, three Patriarchal candidates will be selected. On that day, 39 Hierarchs will gather, and through a secret ballot, we will designate, according to our judgment, those whom we consider as candidates for the Patriarchal Throne.
Before the session begins, all 39 Hierarchs, in order of ordination, will approach the chairman of the electoral committee, from whom we will receive ballots bearing the Patriarchal emblem and the official election seal.
Thereafter:
- we will enter the voting booth one by one and write in full the name and title of the candidate we choose, indicating also his diocese; anyone who wishes may vote for himself,
- we will fold the ballot, place it in a special envelope, deposit it in a transparent ballot box, and then take our assigned seats.
After the voting is completed, the members of the electoral committee will open the ballot box before the Synod, and the counting of votes will begin.
Based on the number of votes received, the top three will be declared Patriarchal candidates.
The chairman of the committee will take out the ballots one by one and hand them to the senior Hierarch by ordination, who will announce aloud the name of the candidate and publicly show it to the Bishops.
The announced ballot will then be handed to the third member of the committee, who will record each name in the minutes and compile the official record of the vote.
Upon completion of the count, the ballots will be destroyed by burning in a special vessel, in the presence of all.
In the event that two candidates receive an equal number of votes, a second round will be held between them.
Thus concludes the first stage, from which three candidates will emerge.
Now consider: what external force, and in what way, could influence such a procedure? It is absolutely impossible.
Therefore, on April 28, the three Patriarchal candidates will be known.
These three candidates will proceed to the expanded assembly, where the second round of the election will take place. There as well, only the Hierarchs have the right to vote, as they alone possess electoral authority.
