Balgarianovinite.com After officiating a memorial service marking the 153rd death anniversary of the revolutionary Vasil Levski (1837-1873) at the Saint Sophia Church in Sofia, Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil said in his address that the example and legacy of Vasil Levski are needed today, at a time when Bulgarian society is experiencing new divisions and facing fresh challenges.
Vasil Levski is a figure whose moral and spiritual magnetism is so powerful that it can awaken love and a readiness for self-sacrifice even in the most hardened human heart, the Patriarch said. This is so because the highest and most perfect virtues that are united and embodied in Levski’s personality are the virtues of the Orthodox Christian faith. These virtues and timeless values can be inspired only by God, Patriarch Daniil said.
He also said Levski’s vision of a free Bulgaria continues to impress with its relevance today, with the purity of the ideal of a country in which no one would be enslaved by another, because all people possess equal dignity and are equally precious in the eyes of God. Levski’s example and legacy are needed today, the Patriarch said, at a time when society is experiencing new divisions and facing new trials. The Apostle’s legacy can help society rediscover its strength and inner unity, overcome what hinders and oppresses it, and move forward, the Patriarch said.
“Each year on this day, the whole of Bulgaria bows its head and pays tribute to the heroic deed of one of its most cherished sons – Hierodeacon Ignatius, Vasil Levski, the Apostle of Bulgarian freedom,” Patriarch Daniil said at the opening of his address. “In this act of remembrance and reverence, all Bulgarians stand together, united, having set aside divisions and brought together by gratitude, because the luminous image of the Deacon has always united the entire Bulgarian people.”
“With the purity of his faith, the greatness of his self-sacrifice, and the selfless devotion of his entire life to his people, as well as his ideal of a pure and holy republic, Vasil Levski earned eternal gratitude and a love that endures forever,” the Patriarch said. “Such love transcends everything temporary and fleeting. Levski’s image continues to inspire today, despite the fact that the times are so different from his own, because the virtues he embodied are eternal and unchanging. Each person, to a greater or lesser extent, feels deep within a desire to emulate his courage, honesty, patriotism and selflessness – qualities that form the halo of his image in the nation’s collective memory and gratitude.”
Among those attending the memorial service were President Iliana Iotova, National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan, MPs, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov and ministers, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev and municipal councillors, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev, Sofia City Regional Education Department head Eleonora Lilova, representatives of various institutions, and members of the public.
After the memorial service, members of the clergy and official guests proceeded in a liturgical procession from the church to the monument to the Apostle of Freedom on Vasil Levski Boulevard, where a commemorative ceremony and wreath-laying took place. Patriarch Daniil: Levski’s Legacy Guides Bulgarians Amid New Social Divisions and Challenges 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-19 19:36:15 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
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