Balgarianovinite.com A dispute broke out at the Bulgarian Orthodox church St George the Victorious Church in Edirne after Greek Orthodox clergy reportedly insisted that the St George’s Day service be conducted in Greek, according to local media reports.
Following the incident, the board of the Bulgarian Orthodox community in Istanbul announced a ban on Greek-language services in the Bulgarian churches in Edirne.
According to local outlet Bati Ekspres, the dispute began when the Greek metropolitan sent by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople insisted on conducting the liturgy in Greek at the Bulgarian church located in Edirne’s Kiyik district.
Hundreds of Bulgarians attending the celebration objected, arguing that services in a Bulgarian church should be held in Bulgarian rather than in Greek, which many of them do not understand.
St George’s Day is also the patron feast of the church, and hundreds of Bulgarians had travelled to Edirne for the occasion, local media noted.
The dispute triggered a strong reaction among the Bulgarian Orthodox community in Istanbul and was also covered by Turkish media outlets including Haberturk and Yeni Birlik.
Dimitri Yotef, chairman of the Foundation of the Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul, said the community had travelled to Edirne to conduct the traditional service in Bulgarian but had been informed that only Greek clergy would officiate.
“This is a Bulgarian church and we believe services should be held in Bulgarian,” Yotef said, adding that the foundation had decided to suspend religious services in the churches until the issue is resolved. The decision applies to both Bulgarian churches in Edirne, though they will remain open for visits and prayer.
Yotef also said tensions over the issue had existed for years, particularly after the death of Father Alexander Chakirik, whom he described as highly respected by the community.
Bulgarian officials were also present at the service. Bulgaria’s Consul General in Edirne, Radoslava Kafedzhiyska, told local media that the dispute reflected a longstanding problem involving restrictions on Bulgarian-language worship.
“In the Republic of Turkiye, services in every church or place of worship are conducted in the language of the respective community,” she said, adding that the issue concerned language, culture and the right of the community to practise its faith in its own language.
After lengthy arguments and strong demands from Bulgarian worshippers, a prayer was eventually read in Bulgarian.
Disputes surrounding the Bulgarian churches in Edirne have long centred on attempts by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to impose Greek-language services and influence over the administration of the churches, according to observers familiar with the issue.
In the Bulgarian churches St Stephen Church and St Ivan Rilski Church in Istanbul, services are normally conducted in Bulgarian, with Greek used only during visits by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Dispute Erupts at Bulgarian Church in Edirne over Demand for Greek-Language Service 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-09 13:42:25 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