Bulgarian сlergy abroad condemn words of cleric who served with OCU

Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius in New York. Photo: Wikipedia

The clergy and laypeople of the Bulgarian Diocese in the USA, Canada, and Australia have condemned the public attacks by Archimandrite Nikanor (Mishkov), who served with the OCU, against Patriarch Daniil. The official statement was published by priests and faithful of the overseas diocese on August 5, 2026, in response to the slander directed at the Primate.

The authors of the document emphasized that they know Patriarch Daniil personally from his seven years of service as a vicar bishop in America. "We know him as a man of sincere prayer, humility, meekness and unconditional loyalty to the Holy Orthodox Church.," the clergy and laypeople testified. "He always put the spiritual benefit of the flock entrusted to him above his personal interests, he knew how to reconcile, encourage and bear with dignity the burden of the archpastoral ministry"

They noted with deep sorrow that Archimandrite Nikanor's systematic statements have gone far beyond the bounds of permissible ecclesiastical criticism and are of a deliberate nature. According to them, the cleric's publications contain insults, mockery, and open disrespect toward the Primate. Such behavior destroys trust in the church hierarchy, breeds divisions, and causes serious harm to the authority of the entire Bulgarian Church.

"We call on Archimandrite Nicanor to cease his language of insult and public opposition, to realize the grave consequences of his words and actions, and to seek the path of repentance, church obedience, and reconciliation," the authors of the statement declared. 

The clergy emphasized that freedom of opinion cannot serve as justification for insulting the Primate and deliberately sowing enmity among the flock. The authors of the statement also expressed their conviction that such public actions by the cleric require a clear canonical assessment on the part of the competent authorities.

As the UOJ reported, the Bulgarian Church suspended from ministry the archimandrite who served with the OCU, for actions incompatible with the priestly rank and monastic vows of obedience, undermining the authority of the Church.

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