Adrianople, October 3, 2019
Met. Cyprian stands to the left of Pat. Bartholomew. Photo: romfea.gr
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople did not bless a Bulgarian hierarch to serve Liturgy for the Bulgarian community of the Church of Sts. Constantine and Helen in Adrianople, Turkey.
While the parish serves a Bulgarian community, it is within the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and thus His Eminence Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church sought the blessing of Pat. Bartholomew to serve Liturgy there.
However, Met. Cyprian did not receive this blessing, although he had been at the same church with Pat. Bartholomew himself in April, reports Romfea.
As Met. Cyprian himself told the Greek outlet, no explanation was given for why he was not permitted to serve the Liturgy.
He believes, however, the silence from Pat. Bartholomew is connected to the Ukrainian issue, as the Bulgarian Church has not yet recognized the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU), created by Pat. Bartholomew and ex-President Petro Poroshenko on the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
The Bulgarian Church created a commission to examine the Ukrainian issue nearly a year ago, but like the Greek Church and a few other Local Churches, it has not made any formal decision on the matter. Met. Cyprian heads this commission.
In February, he expressed hope that the situation would be resolved in a canonical manner, and praised the person of Met. Onuphry, who, the Bulgarian hierarch believes, will preserve the unity of the Church.
“I was very impressed by the words and prayer of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry—he is a man deeply immersed in prayer and spiritual questions. I am certain that with such a primate, the Church will be one, apostolic, and catholic,” Met. Cyprian said in February.
He also noted that “Bulgaria has always been a country that loves Orthodoxy and is friendly to Orthodox people. We’re ready to extend a hand to those in need. Love between people, especially Orthodox people, will strengthen our faith. And we believe that the UOC will remain whole by God’s mercy and allowance.”
Another possible reason that he was not blessed to serve, according to Met. Cyprian, is that the church has a bust of the Bulgarian Exarch Bishop John (Yovchev) in its yard, who initiated the separation of the Bulgarian Church from the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1860.
However, Pat. Bartholomew and Met. Cyprian were together at the same parish, of Sts. Constantine and Helen in Adrianople, in April for the service of the Salutations to the Theotokos.
“Ecumenical Patriarchate embraces all nations and peoples to whom Orthodox Faith has been transmitted through missionary activity and Orthodox Baptism,” said Pat. Bartholomew at the time, also conveying his greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria through Met. Cyprian.
Met. Cyprian has never been denied permission to serve in Bulgarian churches in Turkey before.
