Hierarch of BOC: Bulgarian Church has yet to consider "Ukrainian issue"

Metropolitan Gabriel (Dinev) of Lovech, member of the Holy Synod of the BOC. Photo: orthochristian.com

A member of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech, in a commentary to Orthochristian.com, said that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is going to study in detail the church schism in Ukraine.

“The Holy Synod of the BOC has appointed a commission of bishops to study the schism in Ukraine in detail and report on it at the meetings of the Synod of the Bulgarian Church. So far, there has been no such report,” Met. Gabriel explained the current stance of the Bulgarian Church in relation to the OCU.

Metropolitan Gabriel has repeatedly spoken out about the situation in Ukraine, noting that there is only one Orthodox Church – the UOC. In October 2018, he called on the Bulgarian Church to convene a pan-Orthodox council to resolve the Ukrainian issue. Metropolitan Gabriel has also repeatedly asserted that the actions of Constantinople in Ukraine contradict the sacred canons of the Church.

“I, as a bishop and metropolitan of the BOC, categorically declare that there is only one blessed canonical Church in the Republic of Ukraine, and this is the UOC-MP, headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Onuphry,” the hierarch added in a commentary on Orthochristian.com.

Recall that the head of the OCU, "Metropolitan" Epiphany Dumenko, on December 5, 2019 in an interview with the BBC Ukraine noted that another five Local Orthodox Churches are ready to follow the path of the Cypriot Church and recognize the OCU – these are the Churches of Georgia, Jerusalem, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania.

On October 4, 2018, a commission on the Ukrainian issue was created by the Holy Synod of the BOC with His Eminence Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora being appointed to head up its work. The commission continues to study the Ukrainian schism issue.

As the UOJ previously reported, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church elected a new metropolitan and member of the Synod.

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