Sofia: June 30, 2024
Photo: bg-patriarshia.bg
At his enthronement on as Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Daniil gave the faithful a word, in which he said, “the Lord knows that I did not seek this office.” Below is an English translation of his homily published on the official website of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church:
Your Holiness,
Beloved Representatives of the Brotherly Local Orthodox Churches in the Lord,
Respected Mr. President,
Respected Madam Chairperson of the National Assembly,
Respected Mr. Prime Minister,
Respected Mr. Mayor of Sofia,
Your Majesty,
Your Excellencies,
Honorable Representatives of the Bulgarian State,
Esteemed Members of the Patriarchal Electoral Church Council,
Revered Fathers, Venerable Monks and Nuns,
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Today, the Holy Orthodox Church in its fullness celebrates the memory of All Saints, especially the Assembly of the Twelve Glorious and All-Praised Apostles—a great and glorious feast where the entire people of God on earth rejoice together with the assembly of saints, glorifying God for His great glory, given to us in the Church, that we may be one—sanctified through the word of truth and united in Christ’s love, so that God may be in us and we in Him, united in perfect unity (cf. John 17:17, 22, 23).
Today's feast reveals to us the salvific work of the Lord Jesus Christ and how it is accomplished in the history of the Church and humanity through the sanctification and transformation, the deification of millions and billions of people by the uncreated grace of the Holy Spirit.
For this salvific work, the Lord placed in His Church “some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all reach the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the full measure of the stature of Christ’s fullness.” (Ephesians 4:11–13)
Such is today’s momentous event in the life of our native Bulgarian Orthodox Church—the Bulgarian Patriarchate—as well as in our personal lives: the election of a Patriarch of the ancient, first among the ancient Patriarchates, a glorious Church adorned with many saints from all ecclesiastical and worldly spheres, through every time and epoch.
With the awareness of my own unworthiness for this highly responsible service, but also with faith and obedience to God’s will expressed through the declaration of this holy assembly of canonically and lawfully elected representatives of our entire Church—the episcopacy, clergy, and Orthodox people, as well as in the presence of the beloved and deeply respected representatives of the sister Orthodox Churches—I accept the cross of the patriarchal service entrusted to me today.
I believe that the Lord, who sees the heart and knows that I did not seek this office, having chosen me for this service, will also be my helper; for the Lord “imposes a burden, but also saves” (Psalm 68:19), and because He Himself has told us that without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5), but that He is with us “always, to the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:20)
In today's world, confused by the multiplication of our sins, we all need a living and clear testimony of God's presence, mercy, and love for us. This obliges us in our upcoming ministry to support the faith and life in God of the spiritual flock entrusted to us, to uphold the purity of Christ's faith and piety, and to encourage the path to salvation.
Therefore, following the Apostle’s instruction to “present oneself to God as an approved worker, who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) “with great perseverance in afflictions, in needs, in distresses … in wanderings, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in purity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love … in honor and dishonor, in evil report and good report” (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:4–11), to ensure that our hearts are “enlarged” for all the children of our Bulgarian Orthodox Church, will continue to be a primary task for me personally.,
The education in Orthodox faith and piety will be a primary concern in my ministry as Metropolitan in the glorious Sofia Diocese, whose cathedral city bears the name and is under the protection of the Wisdom of God, and whose episcopal throne has been glorified since apostolic times, including through the ministry of St. Clement of Rome and many other known and unknown saints throughout the ages.
Following the example of my recent predecessors, the ever-memorable Bulgarian Patriarchs Neophyte, Maxim, and Cyril, I will strive to ensure unity in Christ and brotherly service with the fellow archbishops of the Holy Synod, in a spirit of mutual respect and support in the joint care for our spiritual flock as the leader of our Orthodox Church and the Holy Synod, so that “God through the Lord in the Holy Spirit—Father and Son and Holy Spirit” may be glorified (34 Apostolic Canon).
An especially bright and instructive example in this respect is the meekness, discernment, long-suffering, blamelessness, mercy, and exemplary service of the Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim, who ordained me at my episcopal consecration, and Patriarch Neophyte, who guided me at the beginning of my service as Metropolitan.
For over half a century, through their innocence, love, strong faith in God, strict observance of church order, they preserved the unity in the Holy Synod, and navigated the ship of our Church whole and unharmed through many trials. Their tested example of principled upholding of church interests, tact and diplomacy, including in the relations between the Church and state and public institutions, I will strive with God’s help to follow in my upcoming ministry.
A model for us will be the tireless work in evangelism and the courage to preserve the purity of the faith of the Preslav and Tarnovo Patriarchs, especially Holy Patriarch Euthymius—the perfect imitator of the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep (John 10:11)—as well as the leaders of our Church after the restoration of its autonomy in form of the Bulgarian Exarchate, who, with boldness, pastoral care to the point of self-sacrifice for their spiritual flock, contributed to the strengthening and timely restoration of the patriarchal dignity of our Church,.
Among them, the first Bulgarian Exarch and Metropolitan of Vidin Antim fearlessly condemned the atrocities of the oppressor during the suppression of the April Uprising and contributed to the liberation of our people from Ottoman bondage, and under the Acting Chairmanship of the Holy Synod by Metropolitan Neophytos of Vidin, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church contributed to the saving of the Jews in our country in 1943. The bravery of these esteemed leaders, as well as the unity, determination in upholding church interests, and self-sacrifice from all the bishops of the Holy Synod, will always serve as an example to follow.
The late Nevrokop Metropolitan Nathanael was a shining example of pastoral responsibility, sincere faith, and love for God, the Church, and all people. Recognized by the faithful as the “living conscience of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church," his zeal for preserving the purity of the faith, overcoming the regrettable divisions, and promoting faith and piety, especially among the youth, his fatherly care and guidance of the clergy, love for monasticism, care for the poor, and for the beauty of worship and the adornment of temples, tireless efforts to preserve and strengthen the church's institutional authority, have always been and will remain for me a vivid model to strive for in my ministry.
I believe that the ministry of all of us in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is supported by their prayerful intercession.
In today’s world, we witness how many people’s rebellion against God leads to the legalization and imposition of sin as a norm in human society. Unfortunately, the blurring of the concepts of good and evil, truth and falsehood, inevitably affects church people and inter-church relations. We are called to be peacemakers in practice, embodying in our lives the immortal words of St. John Chrysostom: “The name Church means not division, but unity and unanimity.”
I wholeheartedly thank the beloved representatives of the sister Orthodox Churches who came to bear witness to their brotherly love in Christ and prayerfully support our Church in choosing its Primate. I thank:
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His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, together with His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi, His Eminence Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Silivri, His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilochios of Adrianople, and the accompanying clergy and officials from the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
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His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of Ptolemaida, from the Alexandrian Patriarchate,
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His Eminence Metropolitan Timothy of Vostra, Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Cyprus, and Archimandrite Raphael, Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Greece, from the Jerusalem Patriarchate,
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His Eminence Metropolitan Nestor of Korsun and Western Europe, Protopresbyter Vladimir Tishchuk, from the Russian Orthodox Church,
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His Eminence Metropolitan Andrew of Gori, from the Georgian Orthodox Church,
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His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Timok and His Eminence Metropolitan Arsenije of Niš, from the Serbian Orthodox Church,
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His Eminence Archbishop Nicholae of Târgoviște and Patriarchal Exarch, Hierodeacon Nicolae
Iftimiu from the Romanian Orthodox Church:
- Karpasian Bishop Christoforos and Archimandrite Stylianos from the Church of Cyprus.
- Eustathios, Metropolitan of Monemvasia and Sparta, and Maximos, Metropolitan of Ioannina from the Greek Orthodox Church.
- Ioan, Metropolitan of Korça, and Nathanail, Metropolitan of Amantia from the Albanian Orthodox Church.
- Timothy, Metropolitan of Debar and Kichevo, and Ilarion, Metropolitan of Bregalnica from the Orthodox Church in the Republic of North Macedonia.
I thank Their Eminences, the metropolitans, members of the Holy Synod, as well as all the members of the IV Patriarchal Electoral Church Council for their trust, brotherly love, and support. I hope and believe that together we will continue to strengthen and enhance the welfare of our Bulgarian Orthodox Church and our dear Fatherland!
I also extend my gratitude to the representatives of the state institutions for their statesmanship, concern, and support for our church institution, while respecting the principle of self-governance. In recent years, our people increasingly recognize our Orthodox Church as their spiritual mother and nurturer, not only historically but also in our present times.
Thank you to everyone who diligently worked on organizing and conducting today's historic event in the life of our church, state, and nation.
For everything, we thank God and earnestly pray for His support and salvation!
