Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria led a memorial service (panikhida) at the St. Nedelya Cathedral in Sofia, marking 100 years since the tragic bombing of 1925 that claimed the lives of over 150 people and left hundreds injured.
In his deeply moving homily, Patriarch Daniel described the bombing as “a horrific act of terror, carried out exactly a century ago in this sacred house of God, the cathedral of the Metropolitans of Sofia, which to this day continues to paralyze our hearts and horrify both our Christian and human conscience.”
He condemned the brutality and sacrilege of the attack, which was perpetrated by communist and atheist circles on Holy Thursday, during the eve of the Resurrection:
“It was an act of cold-blooded, godless audacity. The attack, committed on the day of the Lord’s Mystical Supper with His Holy Apostles, is an emblematic example of the depth to which sin can penetrate human nature and obscure the image of God in us.”
Patriarch Daniel reminded the faithful that the Church prays every year for the repose of the innocent victims, and also for the souls of those who have allowed themselves to become instruments of evil:
“This is what our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us, and this is what His Holy Church has proclaimed from the very beginning: to love not only those who love us, but also those who curse us and hate us, who insult and persecute us (cf. Matthew 5:44), and to forgive all, for God ‘makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust’ (Matthew 5:45).”
Speaking about the Christian value of life, Patriarch Daniel declared: “Life is a gift from God—who Himself is Life, and the only Source and Giver of life—and no one has the right to take it arbitrarily, regardless of justification or excuse. Violence begets more violence; death by violence breeds further death.”
He firmly stated that the bombing, which also killed children and high-ranking state and military officials of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, “was a grave sin and a crime for which there may be many explanations, but no justification.”
“Sin can be forgiven through deep and sincere repentance, but a crime must be remembered so that it is not repeated. In the memory of our Orthodox Church and our people, the bombing of St. Nedelya remains a shameful stain from the past, which can only be cleansed through the path of repentance.”
Calling on the present generation to bear witness to the past, the Patriarch said: “By being here today, and by offering our common prayer for the innocent victims of this bloody atrocity, we bear witness before God and before the entire Church of Christ that we have recognized the sin of our ancestors and that we are committed to change.”
In conclusion, Patriarch Daniel prayed for the eternal rest of all victims of hatred and violence: “May God forgive and grant eternal repose to the victims of this monstrous crime, and to all victims of man’s hatred toward man. May He, in His goodness and love for mankind, receive them into His heavenly dwellings, and grant us wisdom to avoid all evil intent, to value and safeguard both our own lives and the lives of others, to respect every human being regardless of differences, and to stay far from all wickedness and wrongdoing.”
“Eternal and blessed be the memory of the innocent victims of the bombing at the Sofia Cathedral of the Holy Great-Martyr Nedelya,” he concluded.
