Istanbul, April 23, 2026
Bp. Isaac of Velbuzhd, vicar of the Sofia Metropolis. Photo: liturgija.mk
The visit of His Grace Bishop Isaac of Velbuzhd, vicar of the Sofia Metropolis of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, to Istanbul from April 9-13, reportedly concluded with the hierarch’s refusal to participate in a few Holy Week and Paschal events.
Bp. Isaac arrived in Turkey with a Church delegation at the invitation of the local Bulgarian community to lead services during Holy Week. However, on Pascha, the Bulgarian hierarch chose not to participate in the service at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George in Phanar, according to a report from Pravblog.
According to the tradition established there, representatives of the Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Syriac-Jacobite churches are invited to read the Gospel in different languages on this day. Upon seeing representatives of other Christian denominations in the church, Bp. Isaac left the cathedral. Instead, he read the Paschal message of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before his flock in Istanbul’s Şişli district, on the territory of the Bulgarian Exarchate’s metochion.
Bp. Isaac’s actions represent a noticeable contrast to May 2024, when five Bulgarian bishops concelebrated with Ukrainian schismatics at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George.
Another incident occurred during the Holy Thursday service when a Bulgarian deacon accompanying the bishop commemorated not only Patriarch Bartholomew during the litanies, but also Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel, referring to him as “our” Patriarch. Phanar representatives considered this a violation, as the community in Istanbul formally falls under the omophorion of the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate.
According to Pravblog, Bp. Isaac’s stance provoked harsh criticism from pro-Phanar media, with publications accusing the Bulgarian delegation of “provoking a scandal,” disrespecting the traditions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and “liturgical illiteracy.” The publications emphasized that the presence of non-Orthodox at Vespers is not a canonical violation but expresses “brotherly joy,” and called on Constantinople to ban Bp. Isaac from future visits to Turkey. However, Pravblog did not identify any specific sources for these criticisms.
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