Synod of Bulgarian Church declines trip to receive Holy Fire
The building of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Sofia Photo: Facebook
On April 9, 2026, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church decided not to send a delegation to Jerusalem to receive the Holy Fire, according to a statement published on the Synod’s official Facebook page.
The decision was linked to the ongoing military hostilities in the Middle East and the high level of security risk. “In view of the continuing military actions in the Middle East region and the highest travel risk level in place for Israel and Palestine, the Holy Synod has decided not to send a delegation,” the statement said.
The Synod noted that Bulgarian authorities had issued the corresponding warning, urging citizens to refrain from traveling to the region and to leave it.
At the same time, the Holy Fire will still be available to the faithful in Bulgaria. “The Fire kept in the capital may be received in the Synodal Chapel of St. Tsar Boris-Michael after 2:00 p.m. on Great Saturday,” the statement said.
The faithful were also called to prayer. “We call on Orthodox Christians to offer fervent prayer for an end to the conflict in the Middle East and for peace in the Holy Land and throughout the world,” the Synod said.
As previously reported by the UOJ, the authorities reopened the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Great Thursday.
Read also
Anglican Archbishop: Ban on women's priesthood in RCC is an injustice
After her visit to the pontiff, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally touched on the topic of women's priesthood in the RCC in an interview and called the ban on it "an injustice."
Greek priest on Pope's visit to Phanar: faith must not be sold
Archpriest Georgios Katsaunis warned that in the modern ecumenical dialogue there are serious risks of diluting Orthodox dogmas.
Greek priest: The principle of papal supremacy in Catholicism is a disease
Archpriest Georgios Katsaunis stated that Western Christianity suffers from the principle of one person's supremacy, and called this a spiritual illness.
In Egypt, Coptic blogger sentenced to 5 years for videos about Christianity
A Coptic blogger was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor under a blasphemy law for publishing a video about Christianity.
Patriarchate of Georgia denies ROC influence on election of patriarch
Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze stated that rumors about pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church on Patriarch Ilia regarding the selection of a locum tenens are false.
In Swiss Catholic сhurch, parishioners give holy communion to dogs at mass
In Zurich, during a Mass with the blessing of animals, parishioners gave consecrated Eucharistic hosts to dogs, but the diocese did not recognize the incident as sacrilege.