Bartholomew and Daniil celebrate St John of Rila's feast at Rila Monastery today
Police are stepping up security at the monastery and an extra car park for 500 vehicles has been set up. Patriarch Daniil called for dialogue rather than division.
Archive image · Photo: Raggatt2000 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil and bishops will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at Rila Monastery today for its patronal feast, the day of St John of Rila. The Kyustendil regional police directorate is increasing its presence around the monastery to ensure security, traffic flow and the safety of pilgrims.
Hundreds of worshippers traditionally attend the feast, and parking is expected to be the main problem. An extra car park for 500 vehicles has therefore been set up on a former campsite by the Rilska River, about a kilometre above the monastery.
On Sunday the two patriarchs celebrated the liturgy together at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Problems must be resolved through dialogue, not confrontation and division, Patriarch Daniil said. Bartholomew said the world needs peace and thanked Bulgarians for their warm welcome.