BulgariaAnalytica.org is a project of the Center for Balkan and Black Sea Studies (CBBSS) designed to provide analytical, fact-based information on Bulgaria and the region on a wide range of geopolitical, national security, economic, financial and foreign-political issues, among others. The church continued to exist until it was unlawfully abolished in 1767. which also erode the legitimacy and support for the democratic Republican institutions of the country, thus weakening its role as an ally in the EU and NATO. It was not until the official adoption of Christianity by Khan Boris I in 865 that an independent Bulgarian ecclesiastical entity was established. Bulgarian Diocese, Orthodox Church in America Directives for Reopening Parishes Click here for the directives Archbishop Alexander’s Paschal Message PASCHA 2020 Beloved in the Lord, Christ is risen! The archbishopric had its seat in the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, and its diocese covered the whole territory of the Bulgarian state. Let us remember the Christians under the Ottomans and the Romans whose public celebration of the Risen Lord would cost them their lives, and then only after horrific tortures. Following Bulgaria's two decisive victories over the Byzantines at Acheloos (near the present-day city of Pomorie) and Katasyrtai (near Constantinople), the government declared the autonomous Bulgarian Archbishopric as autocephalous and elevated it to the rank of Patriarchate at an ecclesiastical and national council held in 919. At the church council convened to elect a new Patriarch 24 February 2013, the Metropolitan of Ruse, Neophyt was elected Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church with 90 votes against 47 for Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech. The Bulgarian diocese was subordinated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The official information disseminated stated that the discussion included the issue of legal changes “to guarantee the independence of the religious denominations in the country from outside powers and foreign states as well as the security of Bulgarian citizens and Bulgaria and to hear the views of the members of the Holy Synod headed by the Patriarch Neophyte on this issue” (21.06.2017: https://www.president.bg).
Daniela Kalkandjieva, 26. Thus, the borders of the Exarchate included all Bulgarian districts in the Ottoman Empire. It is the oldest Slavic Orthodox church, with some 6 million members in Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. After World War I, by virtue of the peace treaties, the Bulgarian Exarchate was deprived of its dioceses in Macedonia and Aegean Thrace. […] The majority of Bulgarians (85 percent) would claim that they belong to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, although less than 20 percent of Bulgarians attend church regularly. We still anxiously await joyous liturgical celebrations in our churches, but this year we are unsure when they will come. It is in the interest of both the state and the believing Christians and the Church itself to be consistently separated from the state so that it cannot be used as a tool for reactionary propaganda in the interest of foreign states or national populist groups in our society. Think of the joy in our forebears' hearts the first time they could cry out for all to hear, "Christ is Risen!"
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Throughout the centuries of Ottoman domination, the Orthodox monasteries were instrumental in the preservation of the Bulgarian language and the Bulgarian national consciousness.
This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The original Exarchate extended over present-day northern Bulgaria (Moesia), Thrace without the Vilayet of Adrianople, as well as over north-eastern Macedonia. The Orthodox Church in America The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”
Indeed He is risen! Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Let us remember our brethren behind the iron curtain, who sat at home singing the Paschal hymns in hushed voices lest their neighbors give them up to the authorities. THE BULGARIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH – AN INSTRUMENT FOR RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN THE REGION? The struggle to have the archbishopric recognized according to the canonical order and elevated to the rank of a Patriarchate took almost 50 years.
It may be assumed that the “Ukrainian case” and the possibility of Bulgaria also influencing an official diplomatic line for the protection of the interests of the UOC(MP) were also discussed at this meeting.
In 1762, St. Paisius of Hilendar (1722–1773), a monk from the south-western Bulgarian town of Bansko, wrote a short historical work.