Patriarch Daniel: The Bulgarian Church is in Communion with All Canonical Orthodox Churches

A screenshot of Patriarch Daniel's interview. Credit: Bulgarian National Television (BNT)

SOFIA — In a televised interview for the program Religion Today on Bulgarian National Television (BNT) marking the first anniversary of his enthronement as Patriarch of Bulgaria, His Holiness Patriarch Daniel reaffirmed that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is in communion with all canonical Churches.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church, he stated, does not recognize the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) under Metropolitan Epifaniy and remains in communion with all canonical Orthodox churches. Citing troubling developments in Ukraine, Patriarch Daniel called for renewed dialogue and recognition of the crisis as a step toward healing the global Orthodox divide.

Patriarch Daniel also said that clergy of the OCU are no longer being received by the monasteries of Mount Athos due to growing awareness of “violence and violations” linked to the OCU’s actions as issues resolving the Ukraine schism become more clear.

“And they are becoming clear. For example, we see that in the beginning, the monasteries on Mount Athos accepted clergy from the OCU, but now they no longer do. Because it has become evident that when there is violence, when churches are taken over by force, when priests are killed, when churches stand empty – this cannot go unnoticed. The state took the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra away from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and handed it over to this new structure. And now culinary shows are being held there.”

“The division – we all see it – is everywhere: among us, on all sorts of issues, not only in Bulgaria but around the world,” His Holiness said. “But what I believe most troubles the faithful is the division in the Orthodox world. The tension within Orthodoxy.”

He also reminded viewers that 11 of the autocephalous Churches do not recognize the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine, or Epifaniy, who calls himself the Metropolitan of Kyiv.

“So, where does the Bulgarian Orthodox Church stand? We are in communion with all local Orthodox Churches,” Patriarch Daniel stated. “We have not broken communion with any of them. I believe this is a reasonable approach that will allow us to overcome this division.”

On church occasions and feast days, he said, the Bulgarian church welcomes representatives from all canonical churches, where they serve together, celebrate full Eucharistic communion, and participate in the life of each other’s churches.

“And we hope that through this communion, through this dialogue, time and space will be given for things to become clear… When things are seen for what they really are, I believe they will gradually fall into place, and this problem will be resolved.”

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