Zoria: New Head of BOC will have to address the issue of recognizing OCU

Spokesperson of the OCU, Yevstratiy Zoria. Photo: Screenshot from Zoria's YouTube channel

OCU spokesman Yevstratiy Zoria stated that there have been some "positive developments" between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and his organization, and the responsibility for the final decision on recognizing the OCU will fall on the newly elected Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. He shared this in his video blog on his YouTube channel on June 17, 2024.

In his opinion, the OCU has a good chance of being recognized by another local church, as representatives of the Bulgarian Patriarchate have already made several convincing steps toward them. These "positive developments," according to Zoria, include the presence of Epifaniy Dumenko at the funeral of the late Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte and the concelebration of BOC hierarchs and OCU representatives in Istanbul.

"These steps that have already been taken indicate that the Bulgarian Church is open to following the Tomos and officially establishing full relations with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as a local church. Undoubtedly, certain decisions are necessary for this, and naturally, the responsibility for resolving the issues previously presented to the Bulgarian Church will fall specifically on the newly elected Bulgarian Patriarch," he said.

The OCU representative recalled that the Bulgarian Church had created its own synodal commission to study the Ukrainian issue.

"So far, this commission has not reported back, neither positively nor negatively. Moreover, as we can see from the steps already taken, the Bulgarian Church is leaning towards a positive decision," Yevstratiy Zoria believes.

As reported by the UOJ, there have been calls in Bulgaria to convene the Security Council due to the influence of the United States on the Patriarchal elections.

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