Patriarch Bartholomew announced the visit of the head of the Bulgarian Church to the Phanar in December

The visit of the Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the Phanar is expected in December 2025. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced this, calling on the faithful to take part in the celebrations. The visit will culminate in a joint patriarchal service, but the trip may be fraught with concerns over the issue of recognizing the OCU.

According to the Telegram channel Pravblog, Patriarch Bartholomew made a statement to this effect on November 1, 2025 during a communication with the Bulgarian-speaking Orthodox community in Istanbul. The visit will culminate with a solemn patriarchal co-service scheduled for December 26. «Everyone be there!» — emphasized the head of the Phanar, addressing his flock.

The source suggests that during the visit the scenario that previously took place in Bucharest may be repeated. It is about a possible liturgical memorialization of the head of the OCU Epiphanius Dumenko in the presence of the Bulgarian delegation. It is noted that the Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is trying to avoid the realization of such a scenario, which could put him in a difficult canonical position.

Recall that Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria is expected to raise the issue of his visit to the limits of the Patriarchate of Constantinople at the upcoming meeting of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church. The move, which could take place late this year or early next year, would follow more than a year after his election and would be an important development in relations between the two Churches.