Bulgarian authorities сheck legality of ROC’s ownership of church in Sofia

St. Nicholas’s Church of the ROC in Sofia. Photo: Tournavigator

The Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office will examine the title deeds for ownership rights to the Russian Orthodox Church's property (St. Nicholas Church) in Sofia, which is owned by the Russian Embassy, reports TASS.

"We will review the documents on which the title deed for ownership was issued. We will also request documents regarding the canons of our church concerning the conduct of church services in this church and the cessation of access to it for believers, especially since Saint Seraphim (Sobolev) is buried there, making the church a public and accessible building," announced Prosecutor Iliana Kirilova during a briefing on September 27, 2023.

Representatives of the Prosecutor's Office stated that the investigation is based on signals from members of the country's parliament and one of the civic associations. TASS reports that the official owner of the church is the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria, which has the corresponding title deed.

As earlier reported, the Bulgarian Patriarch appointed priests to the church, whose clergy were expelled from the country.

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