Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church is United, Says Patriarch Daniel
Bulgaria’s Patriarch Daniel has affirmed the unity of the Orthodox Church, stating that according to church rules, only one canonical Orthodox Church can exist on a single territory. He made these remarks during a visit to the R mêslovsky monastery "Pokrov Bogorodichen," as reported by BNT.
"In the Law on Denominations, it is clearly stated that the traditional religion in Bulgaria is Eastern Orthodox, and its representative is the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Bulgarian Patriarchate," Patriarch Daniel noted.
Expressing surprise at the decision of the Supreme Cassation Court, Patriarch Daniel recalled that in 2012, during an attempt to register another entity, the court sought an expert opinion from the Holy Synod. He explained that the court could have considered the Holy Synod’s stance, which stressed that the registration of a new entity with a slight variation in its name, as in the case of commercial companies, would not apply in this context due to the unique nature of church entities.
Highlighting the connection between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, Patriarch Daniel emphasized that such unity is a prerequisite for a church to be considered Orthodox. He warned that the court’s decision seemed to reverse the progress made in the past, reflecting his concern that this move could create a schism.
"When a split occurred, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church had to explain to the state that a Orthodox church is one that is in communion with other Orthodox churches. That’s why the Holy and Great Council was convened in 2016," Patriarch Daniel explained.
The Patriarch’s comments come in response to the Supreme Cassation Court’s recent ruling, made public in late December, which will have the Bulgarian Old Calendarist Church registered as a religious denomination. The key distinction of this church is its continuation of the Julian calendar for religious celebrations.
