Synod of Bulgarian Church did not consider the issue of OCU recognition
The Patriarchal Cathedral of the Bulgarian Church of the Holy Apostle Alexander Nevsky in Sofia
On January 24, a meeting of the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church took place and many publications were quick to announce it was considering the “Ukrainian issue”, which nearly split the unity of the episcopate of the Bulgarian Church. However, such statements are refuted by the Bulgarian edition Glasove.
Glasove notes that seven bishops of the Bulgarian Church appealed to the Synod with a letter in which they declared the need to support the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. However, this does not mean at all that other hierarchs, including Patriarch Neophyte, support the Ukrainian split.
“Despite insinuations in some mass media, neither the most holy Patriarch Neophyte, nor Metropolitan Joseph (Bosakov), who heads the Bulgarian Orthodox diocese in the USA, Canada and Australia, opposed the proposal of the seven bishops. In the end, there was no vote to include the Ukrainian case on the agenda,” reports the outlet.
The result of the discussion of the Ukrainian issue by the Bulgarian bishops was the decision to create a special commission headed by Metropolitan Cyprian (Kazandzhiev).
Recall, Metropolitan Cyprian arrived in 2018 in Kiev at the invitation of the UOC to the celebration of the Baptism of Rus. In an interview with the UOJ, the bishop, in particular, stated the following: “Church life should be based on church canons. This is the pillar of our Orthodox Churches. Anything outside this canonical foundation cannot be right and true.”
Read also
Shevchuk tells Budanov of UGCC’s “state-building role”
The head of the Uniates told the head of the Presidential Office that his Church was ready to partner with the state and presented him with a book on the work of special services in the Church.
Authorities decline to disclose Ukraine’s population size
The State Statistics Service acknowledged that it has up-to-date population estimates for the country, but has decided not to make them public.
Lithuanian govt vows to protect Orthodox Church from Russian intelligence
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has called for curbing the influence of Russian intelligence services on the Church, while an adviser to President Nausėda warned against labeling the entire structure a security threat.
During Ramadan, Patriarch Theodoros hosts Islamic iftar at his residence
Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria hosted a meal for Muslim workers breaking their fast in the courtyard of the Patriarchate and thanked a sheikh for his “brotherhood.”
Lawsuit filed against Patriarch of Constantinople
A Turkish official has accused Patriarch Bartholomew and dozens of clergy of “illegal activity” and violating the Treaty of Lausanne.
OCU cleric buried with Church Slavonic funeral shroud
In the Ternopil Eparchy of the OCU, a cleric was buried under a funeral shroud bearing inscriptions in Church Slavonic.