Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil and metropolitans of the Holy Synod welcomed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his accompanying delegation at the Synodal Palace on Saturday.
Addressing the Ecumenical Patriarch, Patriarch Daniil expressed hope that the visit would provide further testimony to unity and to the dynamic and grace-filled journey undertaken by the Orthodox Fathers.
“Your visit is a confirmation of the brotherhood and friendship, as well as of the strong ties between our holy Orthodox Churches,” Patriarch Daniil said.
He wished Patriarch Bartholomew and his delegation days filled with holiness and the joy of fellowship, leaving them with wonderful memories of the hospitality traditionally extended by the Bulgarian people.
“May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all,” the Bulgarian Patriarch added.
“We bring God’s peace and love to preserve pan-Orthodox unity,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said during his visit to the Synodal Palace in Sofia.
In his address, Patriarch Bartholomew said they had brought from the “Queen of Cities” God’s peace and the fruits of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, patience, kindness and faith – to offer to the Holy Bulgarian Orthodox Church as values that remain relevant and appealing to people today.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate brings the warmth and love of a spiritual mother with the sole aim of strengthening the unity of the Body of Christ and the conciliar nature of the Church throughout the world, he said.
“We experience within ourselves that anxiety of Gethsemane and are deeply concerned with peacefully preserving pan-Orthodox unity, without upheavals or divisions,” Patriarch Bartholomew said. He added that the faith of the Church was not a theory, but a difficult practice and an inevitable narrow path, while preserving ecclesiastical unity remained a constant task to be fulfilled in every age.
Addressing Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil, Patriarch Bartholomew praised his efforts, saying: “From the very first moment of your elevation to the primatial throne of the Bulgarian Church, you demonstrated your earnest commitment to preserving ecclesiastical unity, particularly at especially delicate moments in pan-Orthodox affairs. We appreciate and commend your goodwill.”
In conclusion, the Ecumenical Patriarch expressed confidence and hope that the current difficulties and challenges in inter-Church relations would pass and that the Orthodox Churches would once again move forward together towards unbreakable unity.
He also cited the historic encyclical of 1902, recalling that every autocephalous Church must remain conscious of its communion with the others, since only in this harmony lies the guarantee of truth and eternal life.
Later on Saturday, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew opened the “Mount Athos in Sofia” exhibition at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, highlighting the spiritual and cultural significance of Orthodox monasticism.
The exhibition presents the architecture of Athonite monasteries and the lives of their monks and will be open to visitors until November 15.
In his address, Bartholomew described Orthodoxy as “light and truth” and Mount Athos as a spiritual refuge offering meaning and guidance amid contemporary consumerism and secularization. He emphasized the role of monasticism in preserving the Church’s Eucharistic and ascetic traditions, as well as its contributions to iconography, church music and architecture.
The Ecumenical Patriarch thanked Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil for his contribution to the initiative and invoked the blessing of the Mother of God and the intercession of the Athonite saints upon the exhibition’s visitors.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in Bulgaria earlier on Saturday to take part in the celebrations marking the 1,150th anniversary of the birth and the 1,080th anniversary of the dormition of St John of Rila the Miracle Worker.
Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil Welcomes Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Synodal Palace THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-17 15:44:00
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