The Patriarchate of Constantinople in Turkey forces the Bulgarian community to switch to the Greek language of Divine Services

A scandal broke out in the Bulgarian church of St. George the Victorious in the Turkish city of Edirne during the celebration of St. George’s Day (Gergyovden). The conflict arose over the Greek clergy’s demand to conduct the festive service in Greek, which met with strong protest from hundreds of Bulgarian parishioners and led to the community’s decision to temporarily stop holding liturgies in local churches.

According to Bulgarian news agency BTA, the incident took place in the Kyyik neighborhood when a Greek metropolitan sent by the Patriarchate of Constantinople insisted on holding the service exclusively in Greek. The Bulgarians present expressed outrage, saying that in the Bulgarian church, prayers should be said in Bulgarian, which is understood by the community.

Dimitri Yotef, chairman of the board of trustees of the Foundation of Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchate, formally announced strict measures. «We have decided to close our church for services until the issue of the right to conduct services in Bulgarian is resolved. We also forbid the local metropolitan to enter the church,» Yotef informed. He stressed that the churches of St. George and St. Constantine and St. Helen will remain open for visits and private prayers, but official services will be suspended.

Officials intervened in the situation. Bulgaria’s Consul General in Edirne Radoslava Kafedzhiiska, in an interview with local media, called the incident «an unexpected situation stemming from a long-standing problem.» She noted that in the Republic of Turkey, legislation protects the right of congregations to conduct services in their native language and regretted that the Metropolitan did not take into account the sensitivity of the issue for the Bulgarian side.

The conflict underscores the growing tension between the Bulgarian community and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has intensified since the death of Father Alexander Çakıryk, who served in Edirne. Despite the scandal and prolonged controversy, the prayer was still recited in Bulgarian on the feast day thanks to the persistence of the faithful.