Bulgarian Parliament passes law restricting the right of religious organizations to be called “Orthodox”

The Bulgarian Parliament has amended the Law on Religions, which stipulates that only the Bulgarian Orthodox Church can use the name “Orthodox” in relation to religious organizations registered in the country. 186 deputies voted for this decision, and 1 parliamentarian voted against it. This decision was made to avoid registration in the country of other religious organizations that planned to include in their names belonging to the Orthodox faith. This was reported by BTA.

It is reported that in connection with the adoption of amendments to this law, only the Bulgarian Patriarchate can be considered an official religious organization representing the Eastern Christian movement (Orthodoxy). Thus, the name of any other religious denomination cannot contain the word “Orthodox” or any derivative or similar words.

The reason for the amendments to the law “On Religions” was the decision of the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) of December 16 last year, which ruled on the registration of a religious institution with the name “Bulgarian Orthodox Old Style Church.” The decision of the SCC is related to the 2021 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Believer Church and Others v. Bulgaria.

As reported, on August 20, 2024, the Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Daniel, met with a delegation from the US Embassy in Bulgaria, led by the US Ambassador to the Republic Kenneth Mertens, at the building of the Bulgarian Patriarchate in Sofia. The parties discussed a number of topical issues, including the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.