Report: Bulgarian Bishop’s Departure from Phanar Paschal Service Sparks Tensions with Constantinople
Bp. Isaac of Velbuzhdsk declines participation in ecumenical Paschal observances, drawing criticism from pro-Phanar media.
ISTANBUL — A visit by Bp. Isaac of Velbuzhdsk, vicar of the Sofia Metropolis of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, has drawn controversy after the hierarch reportedly declined to participate in several festive events at the Ecumenical Patriarchate during Holy Week, citing concerns over preserving Orthodox canonical tradition.
According to a report from Pravblog, Bp. Isaac traveled to Istanbul at the invitation of the local Bulgarian Orthodox community to lead Holy Week services. However, on Pascha, he left the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George in the Phanar after finding representatives of the Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Syriac Jacobite churches present and invited to take part in the Gospel reading during the Resurrection service.
Rather than remain for the ecumenical observance, Bp. Isaac reportedly returned to the Bulgarian Exarchate’s representation in the Şişli district, where he read the Paschal Epistle of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the faithful.
Additional controversy reportedly arose during Holy Thursday services when the deacon accompanying Bp. Isaac commemorated both Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel. Representatives of the Phanar reportedly viewed the commemoration of the Bulgarian Patriarch as a jurisdictional violation, arguing that Istanbul's Bulgarian community falls under the authority of Constantinople.
It has been noted that this incident comes just months before a planned visit by Patr. Daniel of Bulgaria to the island of Imbros, raising speculation that the current dispute could affect broader relations between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had received Bulgaria's highest church award.
