Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgarians in Istanbul call on Ecumenical Patriarchate for Bulgarian priest

Photo: EPA/BGNES

For a month now, a clergyman from the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been taking care of the Bulgarian municipality in Istanbul. After a long service, the former priest returned to Bulgaria and another clergyman was appointed in his place by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The tradition of the Bulgarian municipality in Istanbul to select a Bulgarian clergyman, who is then appointed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, has been broken. For decades, the selection had been carried out in the spirit of mutual understanding with the Bulgarian Patriarchate.

Bulgarians in Istanbul expect an official statement from the Holy Synod. We insist on keeping the tradition! We want a priest from Bulgaria with the blessing and approval of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Hristo Kopano, a member of the Bulgarian Board of Trustees, told BNR.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The folk custom

Ivanovden is among the favorite winter holidays

Today, The Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors the memory of Saint John the Baptist, also known as Saint John the Forerunner, because he prepared people for the coming of the Savior. The day dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, known in Bulgaria as..

published on 1/7/25 6:05 AM

Bulgarians across the country take out the cross on Epiphany

On January 6, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is marking Epiphany. According to the Bible, on this day John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. Traditionally, a festive Epiphany liturgy is held in churches, water is blessed, and then..

published on 1/6/25 6:10 PM

147 years since the liberation of Sofia

The fighting for Sofia within the framework of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) began on December 25, 1877. On January 3, 1878, the city's commandant Osman Nuri Pasha began to withdraw from Sofia.  His plans to set the city on fire were thwarted..

published on 1/4/25 6:30 AM