Patriarch Bartholomew begins three-day Bulgaria visit honoring St. John of Rila
The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians is to be welcomed by Patriarch Daniil in Sofia on Saturday evening, with services planned at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Rila Monastery.
Archive image · Photo: Massimo Finizio / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople arrives in Bulgaria on Saturday for a three-day visit. Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil and the metropolitans of the Holy Synod are to welcome him at the Synodal Palace in Sofia at 5 p.m. local time, the Bulgarian Patriarchate said. An hour later the two church leaders are due to open an exhibition of works by Greek artist Evtimios Varlamis at the National Palace of Culture, which runs until Nov. 15.
The visit marks 1,150 years since the birth and 1,080 years since the death of St. John of Rila, Bulgaria's patron saint. On Sunday, Bartholomew and Daniil will celebrate a liturgy at the Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral and pray at the grave of the late Patriarch Neofit. A festive liturgy at Rila Monastery is scheduled for Monday, the saint's feast day. The Holy Synod issued the invitation in July.
In an interview with Bulgarian National Television, Bartholomew said the visit would go down in history "in golden letters" and wished Bulgarians "unity and prosperity, and political stability." He has led the Ecumenical Patriarchate since 1991.