Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil celebrated a joint Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to mark the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, said the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate on Monday.
The service, held according to the Julian calendar on September 27, marked the culmination of the spiritual celebrations surrounding Patriarch Daniil’s first irenic visit to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Before the liturgy, a traditional procession was held from the Jerusalem Patriarchate to the Church of the Resurrection. Upon entering the church, Patriarchs Theophilos and Daniil venerated the Stone of Anointing and the Holy Sepulchre.
They were joined in the service by hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and members of the Bulgarian church delegation, including Metropolitan Seraphim of Nevrokop and Bishop Gerasim of Melnik, Secretary General of the Holy Synod. Dozens of priests from Jerusalem, Bulgaria, Greece and Romania also concelebrated the liturgy.
After the service, a procession with the Cross of Christ was held. Patriarch Theophilos carried above his head a cross containing particles of the True Cross.
Speaking at a reception at the Jerusalem Patriarchate, Patriarch Theophilos said the Exaltation of the Holy Cross reveals the paradox of Christian faith, in which humility becomes glory, suffering becomes victory, death becomes life and the Tomb becomes a source of resurrection.
Patriarch Daniil highlighted the centuries-old spiritual ties between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Bulgarian people and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
He recalled historical evidence of Bulgarian monks living and working in the Holy Sepulchre monasteries of Saint Sabbas and the Holy Archangels between the 16th and 18th centuries, as well as the existence of a Bulgarian chapel in one of Jerusalem’s churches where services were held in Church Slavonic in the late 16th century.
Patriarch Daniil also recalled the support provided by the Jerusalem Patriarchate under the late Patriarch Diodoros to the Bulgarian Patriarchate during the 1998 Enlarged and Pan-Orthodox Council, which sought to resolve the schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
During his visit, Patriarch Theophilos presented Patriarch Daniil with the Order of the Cross of the Holy Sepulchre, the highest distinction of the ancient Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem and Bulgarian Patriarchs Celebrate Feast of the Cross at Church of Holy Sepulchre 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-28 09:12:16
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