Council of Europe urges Bulgaria to register the Bulgarian Old-Style Church

The Council of Europe has considered the case of the Bulgarian Old-Style Church, which was refused registration as an Orthodox Church by the country’s authorities. According to the Council of Europe members, Bulgarian courts systematically refuse to register Orthodox communities on the grounds of similarities in their names or doctrine with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. This information was published on the website of the Council of Europe.

The members welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of Bulgaria from December 16, 2024, regarding the registration of the Bulgarian Orthodox Old-Style Church. However, they expressed concerns over the legislative amendments from January 31, 2025, which may lead to the church’s dissolution or forced name change, contradicting the conclusions of the European Court.

The Council of Europe called on Bulgarian authorities to prevent negative consequences for the Bulgarian Orthodox Old-Style Church and reconsider the legislative amendments to bring them in line with the Convention. This issue will be revisited in December 2025.

Earlier, we reported that at the Council of Europe’s meeting of ministers in the “human rights” format, the issue of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) as the sole official representative of traditional Orthodoxy in the country was discussed. Special attention was given to the refusal of Bulgarian authorities to register the “Bulgarian Orthodox Old-Style Church” and the amendments to the Law on Religions of the Republic of Bulgaria, adopted on January 31, 2025.