The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has rejected the appeals filed by Archimandrite Nikanor (Hristo Hristov Mishkov), during a plenary session held on October 2, 2026, in its capacity as an Ecclesiastical Court.
The case concerns objections raised by Archimandrite Nikanor regarding the jurisdiction and competence of the Sofia Diocesan Ecclesiastical Court, acting as a court of first instance, to hear the ecclesiastical criminal proceedings against him on charges of defamation, insults and other ecclesiastical offenses.
The Holy Synod also examined his appeals against the measures suspending him from priestly duties.
Case returns to Sofia Ecclesiastical Court
The Holy Synod rejected the appeal against a decision it had adopted in a restricted composition on August 10, 2026, and confirmed that the Sofia Diocesan Ecclesiastical Court has jurisdiction to hear the case at first instance.
The case will therefore be referred back to the Sofia Ecclesiastical Court for proceedings to continue.
According to the reasoning behind the decision, the charges concern Archimandrite Nikanor’s conduct as a cleric of the Sofia Metropolis and the obligations arising from his priestly rank and ministry, rather than matters relating exclusively to the internal order of the monastery.
Suspension from priestly duties upheld
In a separate decision, the Holy Synod also rejected as unfounded appeals against three acts issued by Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria on August 10, August 26 and September 9, 2026.
The measures imposed a temporary suspension on Archimandrite Nikanor, prohibiting him from performing any priestly or liturgical functions.
According to the Synod’s reasoning, such measures are limited in duration and primarily preventive in nature. They may be imposed, when deemed necessary, as an immediate episcopal intervention aimed at preventing broader scandal within the Church.
Under the Statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod’s decisions on the appeals are final.
Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora voted against the decision.
