Bulgaria’s Supreme Cassation Court Upholds Registration of Alternative Orthodox Church
In a landmark decision, Bulgaria’s Supreme Cassation Court has ruled decisively that the Bulgarian Old-Rite Church will be inscribed in the country’s denounced clergy register. The ruling overturns contradictory decisions by Sofia‘s Appeals Court and Sofia City Court, concluding a case that has been ongoing since 2009. This marks the first time that a second Orthodox Church will be officially recognized in Bulgaria.
The Supreme Court’s magistrates justified their decision by stating that the registration of the Old-Rite Church would not violate the rights of the "Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate" or its members. In their ruling, they acknowledged the significant role of the mainstream Church in maintaining Bulgarian national identity and its widespread respect in society. However, they also recognized the Old-Rite Church’s legitimate right to exist, with this religious community having operated independently for three decades without any claims to the main Church’s internal structure or property.
Upon receiving the news, the Old-Rite Church expressed relief at the removal of administrative and legal obstacles that had previously hindered its activities. The Church’s primary distinction lies in its adherence to the Julian Calendar – the ‘Old Style’ – contrary to the mainstream Church’s adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in 1968. As a result of this schism, the Old-Rite Church separated from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 1990.
Led by the Metropolitan of Tryavna, Foti, the Old-Rite Church boasts 18 places of worship, with its cathedral, ‘Dormition of the Mother of God,’ situated in Sofia’s ‘Bിവkston’ district. The Church also maintains a convent in ‘Kняжево,’ where around 60 nuns reside. Joining Metropolitan Foti in the Holy Synod are Bishops Seraphim of Sozopol and George of Kishinev and Moldova.
This ruling is set to reverberate throughout Bulgaria’s religious landscape, recognizing the valid existence of two Orthodox Churches within the country.
