The Patriarchate of Bulgaria has expressed its support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and Metropolitan Onufriy through a letter sent by Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria.
The court hearing in the case brought by Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) against the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is currently underway.
According to the UOC’s Information and Educational Department, citing a post on the Telegram channel of the Metropolis’ legal representative, Archpriest Mykyta Chekman, both the court and the Kyiv Metropolis have received letters of support from Patriarch Daniel and hierarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
“A violation of the religious freedom of millions of believers”
In his letter, Patriarch Daniel expresses the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s deep concern over the ongoing legal proceedings, warning that “any attempt to deprive the Kyiv Metropolis of its legal status would amount to a violation of the religious freedom of millions of Orthodox faithful.”
Addressing Metropolitan Onufriy, the Patriarch of Bulgaria notes that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church “continues to bear witness to Christ through faithfulness and love” despite the pressures and persecution it faces.
He further argues that revoking the legal personality of the Kyiv Metropolis would constitute “a restriction of the religious freedom of millions” of believers, as well as “interference in the internal affairs of Orthodoxy.”
Recalling the historical experience of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniel points to the painful consequences of the Bulgarian Schism, stressing that internal ecclesiastical divisions cannot be resolved through political intervention, “but only in a conciliar manner, in the spirit of the Holy Gospel and the sacred canons of the Church.”
“Wholehearted support” for the UOC’s legal status
The Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church also expresses his “wholehearted support” for the right of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to preserve its legally recognized status.
Concluding his letter, Patriarch Daniel assures Metropolitan Onufriy of his prayers for peace in Ukraine and asks Christ to grant him “wisdom, strength, courage, and patience” as he continues his pastoral ministry.
