Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel commented on the issue of ecclesiastical communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople

Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria issued an important statement to the faithful, in which he clarified the position of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) regarding the preservation of Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and Patriarch Bartholomew’s visit. The primate called on the flock to exercise prudence, emphasizing the need to seek church unity and warning against hasty conclusions and “unreasonable zeal.” The Patriarch’s remarks were reported by the Telegram channel “Pravblog.”

Responding to laypeople’s concerns regarding the recent joint divine service at the Rila Monastery, Patriarch Daniel emphasized that this decision was made collegially by the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and not by him personally. The Primate noted that criticism on social media cannot replace a full-fledged ecclesiastical discussion, and that the status of heretic cannot be assigned to anyone without a conciliar decision by the entire Church.

As an example, the Patriarch cited the experience of the Mount Athos monasteries: despite their non-recognition of the “OCU,” the monks remain in canonical submission to the Patriarch of Constantinople and concelebrate with him without breaking Eucharistic communion. Other Local Churches, including the Church of Jerusalem, hold a similar position. In conclusion, Patriarch Daniel recalled that to date, no Orthodox Church has excommunicated Patriarch Bartholomew, and history shows that final verdicts should be rendered only after lengthy and in-depth discussions.

It should be noted that the head of the Phanar’s visit to Bulgaria was marked by significant tension. According to reports, protesters had earlier greeted the patriarch at the Synodal Chamber in Sofia with shouts of “Anaksios” (unworthy), and during the divine service at the Rila Monastery, when the patriarch commemorated the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, the responded with shouts of “Anathema.”