Bulgarian Church hierarch sends letter to Kyiv court in defense of UOC

Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech. Photo: pravoslavie.ru

Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech has spoken out in defense of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, sending an appeal to the judges considering the DESS lawsuit against the Kyiv Metropolis. This was reported by attorney Archpriest Nikita Chekman.

The appeal was prompted by a court hearing held on July 22, 2026. The hierarch stressed that the proceedings are of exceptional importance to millions of Ukrainian citizens and to the Orthodox Church as a whole.

“Your decision in this case, honorable judges, will affect the life of all Local Orthodox Churches, as well as communion among them; consequently, it will have a pan-Orthodox dimension,” Metropolitan Gabriel wrote in his letter.

The hierarch noted that the Church is the Body of Christ and that concern for Orthodox brothers and sisters in Ukraine, including those of Bulgarian descent, compels the Bulgarian Church to raise its voice. He recalled the position of Bulgarian Patriarchs Maxim and Neophyte, who consistently recognized the canonical UOC alone.

“The only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the letter quotes the late Patriarch Neophyte as saying. The hierarch warned that any infringement of the UOC’s interests could have devastating consequences both for the Ukrainian people and for Ukrainian statehood.

The Bulgarian hierarch reminded the Ukrainian court of the experience of overcoming the schism in the Bulgarian Church from 1992 to 2004, a period marked by persecution and church seizures. Drawing on that historical lesson, he said that the legal destruction of the UOC would cause irreparable harm to the entire Church of Christ.

“Under the law you have adopted... the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was ‘condemned in advance’ simply because it is CANONICAL,” the Bulgarian hierarch stated. Metropolitan Gabriel emphasized that interference by secular authorities in Church affairs is unacceptable under the Sacred Canons and the rulings of the Ecumenical Councils.

Concluding his appeal, the hierarch urged the judges to exercise restraint and impartiality and to be guided in their decision by the words of Holy Scripture.

“Now therefore let the fear of the Lord be upon you,” the Metropolitan quoted from the Second Book of Chronicles. “Take heed and act, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor partiality, nor taking of gifts.” He also called on the judges to hear disputes between brothers and judge fairly, without fearing any human being, for “the judgment is God’s.”

As the UOJ previously reported, the Bulgarian Church expressed support for the UOC ahead of the court hearing on the DESS lawsuit.

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