The Orthodox Church of Bulgaria has elected a new patriarch. He accused Ukraine of war and repeated Russian propaganda
Kyiv • UNN
The newly elected Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Daniel, accused Ukraine of responsibility for the war and repeated Russian propaganda about the conflict.
On June 30, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church elected a new patriarch, 52-year-old Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin. He claimed that Ukraine was as responsible for the war as Russia. This was reported by BTV Novosti, UNN.
Details
Metropolitan Daniel received 69 votes, and Metropolitan Hryhoriy 66 votes. Three more votes were invalidated.
Daniel succeeds Patriarch Neophytos, who died in March after leading the Bulgarian church for more than a decade. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church usually avoids commenting on current events, but Neophytos called for an end to the war in Ukraine.
In November 2022, Daniel, commenting on the war in Ukraine, said that "none of the parties to the conflict can be justified for what is happening at the expense of the other.
"We observe tendencies to sow hatred, denial and resentment, including in our society, towards one of the warring parties, which is called the only and unprovoked aggressor," he said.
