Bulgarian hierarch leaves Council at Phanar due to presence of non-Orthodox
Bishop Isaac of Velbuzhd. Photo: Raskolam.net
Bishop Isaac of Velbuzhd, vicar of the Sofia Metropolis of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, left the patriarchal Cathedral of Saint George at the Phanar during the Paschal service.
UOJ in the USA reports that the hierarch made this decision after discovering that representatives of the Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Syriac-Jacobite churches had been invited to read the Gospel at the Resurrection service.
Instead of participating in the ecumenical event, Bishop Isaac returned to the Bulgarian Exarchate representation in the Şişli district, where he read the Paschal message of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church to the faithful. The bishop arrived in Istanbul at the invitation of the local Bulgarian community to conduct Holy Week services.
The conflict escalated on Holy Thursday when the deacon accompanying the bishop commemorated both Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel during the Liturgy.
Representatives of the Phanar called this a "jurisdictional violation," claiming that the Bulgarian community of Istanbul is under their exclusive authority. The incident occurred several months before Patriarch Daniel's planned visit to Imbros Island.
Earlier, UOJ reported that the Synod of the Bulgarian Church declined the trip for the Holy Fire.
Read also
TRC officers abduct priest of UOC's Zymne Monastery
The UOC cleric was reportedly taken by force to Lutsk.
UOC faithful publish appeal to Athonite monks visiting OCU
UOC faithful have called on the Athonite monks not to support the seizure of the Lavra or the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Journalist: Zelensky has done more to destroy the UOC than Poroshenko
A Ukrainian journalist said that Zelensky "declared war" on the UOC in 2022.
Dumenko to Athonite abbot: We're freeing Lavra from shackles of "Russian world"
Responding to the guest from Athos, the head of the OCU said that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is being "freed" from the "false teaching of the Russian world" and is returning to "true service."
Abbot of New Esphigmenou at Lavra: OCU is a "deep spiritual movement"
Athonite Archimandrite Bartholomew, attending a celebration at the Lavra, assured attendees that the creation of the OCU was not a political act.
Serbian Church condemns verdict against Patriarch Porfirije in Slovenia
The Holy Synod of the Serbian Church called the Ljubljana court's ruling against the Primate unlawful.