Home page News
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with Tsar Simeon II…

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria

On 28 April 2013, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria at the Throne Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

Present at the meeting were Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; hierodeacon Roman (Kiselev), staff member of the DECR Secretariat for Far Abroad Countries; H.E. Mr. Boyko Koytsev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Russian Federation; Archimandrite Feoktist (Dimitrov), rector of the Moscow Representation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; and Mr. Ivaylo Shalafov, private secretary to Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria.

Greeting the high guest, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said, “On this feast day, we have had an opportunity to pray together in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.”

Addressing Tsar Simeon, His Holiness said with gratitude, “The schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has been overcome with your decisive participation. The schism was the matter of our deep concern, we saw the sufferings which it inflicted on people. Since it was a political action, the participation of the country’s political authorities in overcoming the schism was highly important. The example of the overcoming of schism in Bulgaria shows that authorities should not keep aloof when there appear such tendencies which threaten the unity of the Church and which are caused by the actions of political forces.”

Patriarch Kirill shared his impressions over his visit to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 2012. “I recall my visit to Bulgaria as a joyful event, His Holiness said. “Perhaps, I was one of the last people who concelebrated the Liturgy with the late Patriarch Maxim. I also recall our common prayer at the Church of St Alexander Nevsky in Sofia.”

Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria said in return, “Your Holiness, I am deeply touched by your words. Today, thanks to your invitation, my dream has come true: I visited the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 2002, in capacity of Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and made a wish to attend one day the Patriarchal service here. And today, on the Palm Sunday, my dream has come true.”

Touching upon the issue of the overcoming of schism in Bulgaria, Tsar Simeon II noted that as far back as 1965, he had come out against the initiative of the Bulgarian emigrants in America to establish “the independent Bulgarian Church.”

Share:
Congratulations of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the President of Turkey on his 70th birthday

26.02.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill's condolences in connection with the murder of the monks of the Ziquala Abo Monastery in Ethiopia

24.02.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the XII Christmas Parliamentary Meetings at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation

23.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: Patriarch of Constantinople is not a free man

07.01.2024

Christmas Message from Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Rus’

06.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had phone conversation with Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol

02.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences over deadly earthquake in northwest China

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulates Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election as President of Egypt

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill welcomes the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the decoration of the Church of St Sava in Belgrade

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presides over jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Patriarchal greetings on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Diocese of Vienna and Austria

26.11.2023

Primate of Russian Church presents historic miracle-working Kazan Icon of the Mother of God to the faithful and celebrates Liturgy in the Kremlin Dormition Cathedral

04.11.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to the participants of the World Conference of Compatriots Living Abroad

01.11.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East

31.10.2023

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب