Clergy and laity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church spoke out against Patriarch Bartholomew's visit

Representatives of the clergy, monastics, and laity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church have published a “Letter of Sorrow” addressed to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, expressing strong protest against his planned visit to the Rila Monastery, scheduled for October 19, 2026. The authors of the appeal declared their refusal to participate in prayerful and Eucharistic communion with the patriarch, accusing him of deviating from the dogmas of Orthodoxy.

In the text of the message, the authors justify their position with a series of accusations against the First Hierarch of Constantinople. In particular, the faithful point to the active promotion of ideas of ecumenism and religious syncretism and criticize the patriarch’s actions regarding the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, calling them anti-canonical interference.

The authors of the document emphasize that their position is based on the 15th canon of the Double Council of Constantinople, which allows clergy to sever communion with the primate if he publicly preaches heresy. The faithful are calling on Patriarch Bartholomew to cancel his visit to the Holy Rila Monastery so as not to provoke schism and public unrest, emphasizing that such a decision is motivated by a desire to preserve the purity of the faith.

“Your presence at the holy sees of Bulgaria serves as a stumbling block, which we will not allow,” the concluding part of the appeal states. The document, signed on September 23, 2026, in Sofia, marks a serious escalation of tensions in relations between a segment of the Bulgarian church community and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church had officially invited Patriarch Bartholomew to visit Bulgaria in October of this year.