Bartholomew and Daniil celebrate liturgy at Nevsky Cathedral after protest on arrival
On the second day of the visit, the patriarchs celebrate in Sofia. Dozens of opponents protested at the reception. Bartholomew: Tsar Samuil's remains belong to Bulgaria.
Archive image · Photo: Rasal Hague / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
On the second day of his visit to Bulgaria, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is celebrating a solemn liturgy on Sunday together with Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil at the patriarchal Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. A prayer at the grave of the late Patriarch Neofit is planned afterward. The highlight of the three-day visit is a service at the Rila Monastery on Monday, the feast day of St. Ivan of Rila. The occasion marks 1,150 years since the saint's birth and 1,080 years since his death.
Dozens of protesters had gathered for the reception at the Synodal Palace on Saturday. Placards read "Bartholomew, you are not welcome" and "Heretic and ecumenist." Critics accuse him of deepening the split in Orthodoxy by establishing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Daniil called the Patriarchate of Constantinople "a mother church for us"; Bartholomew said church unity remains an ongoing task.
On Greece's handover of Tsar Samuil's remains to Bulgaria, Bartholomew said Greece had acted rightly because they belong to Bulgaria. He spoke of a step toward justice and understanding. According to NOVA, the remains were interred with military honors in Sofia's St. Sofia Church on Oct. 3. On Saturday evening, the two patriarchs opened the exhibition "Holy Mountain in Sofia" about Mount Athos at the NDK National Palace of Culture.