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Bulgarian Church Invites Ecumenical Patriarch for St. John of Rila Anniversary Celebrations
Patriarchate delegation delivers official invitation as Bulgaria prepares to commemorate the 1,150th anniversary of its patron saint's birth and the 1,080th anniversary of his repose.
SOFIA, BULGARIA — The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has formally invited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Bulgaria to participate in celebrations marking the 1,150th anniversary of the birth and the 1,080th anniversary of the repose of St. John of Rila, the heavenly patron of the Bulgarian people.
The invitation was approved during the Synod's regular session on June 26 and was delivered in person by a special delegation led by Metr. Naum of Ruse, accompanied by Bp. Gerasimos of Melnik, Secretary General of the Holy Synod, and Patriarchal Advisor Dr. Alexander Smotchevski.
The delegation traveled to Constantinople, where it met with the Ecumenical Patriarch following the festal Divine Liturgy for the feast of St. Kyriaki at the Church of St. Kyriaki in Kontoskali. During the meeting, the delegates conveyed the greetings of Patr. Daniel of Bulgaria and the Holy Synod while extending the official invitation for the Oct. 16–20 celebrations at the Monastery of St. John of Rila.
Addressing the Bulgarian delegation, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew recalled the recent visit of Patriarch Daniel to his native island of Imbros and emphasized the enduring ties between the Churches of Constantinople and Bulgaria.
"Our two Churches are united by sacred and unbreakable bonds, bonds of common faith and love, which, according to the Apostle Paul, 'never fails,'" the Ecumenical Patriarch said.
In its invitation, the Bulgarian Patriarchate described St. John of Rila as a shared spiritual link between the two Churches, noting that his legacy belongs to the common Byzantine-Slavic Christian tradition that has shaped relations between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate for centuries.
Additional details and the full schedule for the anniversary celebrations are expected to be announced in the coming months.
This invitation comes soon after a piece criticizing Patr. Daniel and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was published on Public Orthodoxy and promoted by the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Patr. Daniel prayed for the departed relatives of Patr. Bartholomew on his native island of Imbros.
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