Bulgarian Church Suspends Archimandrite Nicanor After OCU Concelebration

SOFIA, BULGARIA — The Sofia Metropolis of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has suspended Archimandrite Nicanor (Mishkov) from priestly ministry for 15 days and initiated ecclesiastical court proceedings after his concelebration earlier this month with Epiphany Dumenko of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a body the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has not recognized.

According to an order issued July 28 by Patr. Daniel, Archimandrite Nicanor was placed under argos — a complete prohibition from serving as a priest — for conduct the Metropolis said was incompatible with the priestly office and the monastic vow of obedience, as well as behavior that undermined the authority of the Church. The suspension took effect July 29, while Ecclesiastical Disciplinary Case No. 2/2026 was simultaneously opened to determine whether further canonical penalties should be imposed.

Church officials said three clergy members attempted to deliver the order personally at Nicanor's monastery, but found he had left without the blessing of his diocesan bishop. The Metropolis said he was instead notified by telephone. The disciplinary action follows Nicanor's participation in liturgical services on July 14 and 15 at St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv alongside Dumenko.

Before the suspension took effect, Archimandrite Nicanor published a lengthy statement on social media announcing that he would refuse a summons to appear before Patr. Daniel. In the statement, he sharply criticized the Bulgarian primate, questioned his authority, accused him of promoting pro-Russian positions, and declared that he would no longer recognize his jurisdiction. Nicanor also renewed his criticism of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's refusal to recognize the OCU and defended his decision to concelebrate in Kyiv.

"It is time for the so-called 'Patriarch Daniel' to step down," his statement concluded. He also expressed his wishes for Patr. Daniel to sign his release from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, "so that we may part peacefully while we are still alive and well."

The conflict between Archimandrite Nicanor and the Bulgarian hierarchy has continued for several years. In October 2025, he also received a 15-day argos for what Church authorities described as repeated violations of the Statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. More recently, Nicanor authored an article criticizing the Bulgarian government's opposition to proposed European Union sanctions against Patr. Kirill, arguing that political leaders had used Patr. Daniel to justify the decision while damaging the Church's public reputation.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Patr. Daniel reaffirmed the Bulgarian Church's recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).