Department for External Church Relations
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His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria greets delegation of Moscow Patriarchate
On 28 November 2014, His Holiness Neophyte, Metropolitan of Sofia and Patriarch of Bulgaria, and members of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church met with the guests who had arrived in Bulgaria to take part in the celebrations marking the centenary of consecration of St Nicholas Church, the metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia. The meeting took place at the Synodal Chamber in Sofia.
With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate was led by Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.
Taking part in the meeting were also Metropolitan Mitrofan of Lugansk and Alchevsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, vice-chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), rector of St Nicholas Church; archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov, rector of St Tikhon’s Orthodox University; Mr. Andrei Khoshev, a staff member of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, and hieromonk Zotik (Gayevsky), secretary of the Representation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia.
In his welcome speech, the Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church called the Russian church a spiritual oasis in the centre of Sofia. “Citizens of our city love St Nicholas Church – the Russian church,” Patriarch Neophyte said, “A great many people come to the tomb of Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev)… When envoys and delegations of the Russian Orthodox Church visit Sofia, they always say a thanksgiving and celebrate the Divine Liturgy in this church, praying for the two Orthodox peoples, the Russian and the Bulgarian ones.”
The head of the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate conveyed to His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria greetings from the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and from Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations.
Metropolitan Mitrofan of Lugansk and Alchevsk conveyed to His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte greetings from His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine. “I represent the diocese of Lugansk of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which today is undergoing a severe trial: a was is going on, people are dying, everything is being destroyed,” Metropolitan Mitrofan said, “I ask for your holy prayers for our faithful who, in spite of the difficulties, are coming back to their half-ruined houses. We support each other as much as we can; our parishes in Lugansk organize charity dinners and collect humanitarian aid. And first and foremost, we support each other by prayers.”
The Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church expressed his deep regret over the tragic developments in the fraternal Orthodox country and expressed his support to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch
Department Chairman
Sermons
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