Bulgarian Church Synod elects three candidates for patriarch post

Building of the Synod of the Bulgarian Church. Photo: bnr.bg

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church announced the names of three candidates for the post of Patriarch, according to the Bulgarian publication "Nova TV".

The candidates for the Patriarchal post are Metropolitan Grigoriy of Vratsa, Metropolitan Gavriil of Lovech, and Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin.

According to the charter of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the elected candidates must meet three conditions – be over 50 years old, have served for 5 years as the head of a diocese, and possess Orthodox thinking and exemplary life.

It is also known that the Council of Ministers allocated nearly half a million levs to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to cover the expenses for organizing and conducting the 4th Patriarchal Electoral Church Council on June 30 and the solemn enthronement of the new Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia.

All church hierarchs – metropolitans and archbishops – participate in the election of the new head of the BOC, along with five representatives from each diocese – three clerics and two laypersons, and ten representatives from the Sofia diocese – six clerics and four laypersons.

Additionally, there will be one representative from the stauropegial monasteries – Rila, Bachkovo, and Troyan, two representatives from each diocese's monasteries – one monk and one nun, and one representative from the middle religious schools. In total, 145 people.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a list of all candidates for the post of Patriarch had been published in Bulgaria.

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