Pomorie, Sliven Province, Bulgaria, October 6, 2026
Photo: forthepleasureoflordkrishna.com
The Bulgarian Orthodox Metropolis of Sliven says it can’t stay silent as attempts are made to spread religious teachings foreign to the Orthodox faith in Pomorie, an ancient Christian city.
In a statement released October 3, the Metropolis addresses the spread of the Krishna Consciousness movement in Pomorie, Anchialos and other settlements of the Sliven Diocese.
The diocese says Pomorie isn’t just an administrative territory or a tourist destination, but a city sanctified by the prayers of generations of Orthodox Christians and by the churches, monasteries, and sacred objects of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
It stresses that the Church doesn’t call for hostility toward people of other convictions, since every person is created in the image of God. But respect for a person, the statement says, doesn’t mean indifference to the truth. For an Orthodox Christian, Christ isn’t one of many spiritual teachers but the only-begotten Son of God. It cites John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
The Metropolis emphasizes that the Krishna Consciousness movement belongs to another religious tradition and that its teachings aren’t part of the Christian faith.
According to the statement, ISKCON defines itself as part of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition within Vedic/Hindu religious culture and bases its teaching on texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. An Orthodox Christian therefore can’t accept it as another form of Christianity, the statement says, and it’s especially troubling when such initiatives target cities with a clear Orthodox identity.
The diocese notes that the Bulgarian Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religion, but also names Eastern Orthodoxy the traditional religion of Bulgaria and says religious freedom can’t be directed against public order, public health, morality, or the rights of other citizens. Freedom, it says, implies responsibility: parents have the right to know what ideas are presented to their children. Defending Orthodox identity, the metropolis adds, isn’t a call for religious intolerance.
The statement calls on parents, teachers, public institutions and citizens to be careful about any religious or ideological influence on children. It urges them not to let children be drawn into religious teachings under attractive guises, such as cultural events, music, yoga, festivals or charity initiatives, without parents being informed of the actual content. It also calls on Orthodox Christians not to be passive.
The statement closes with the words of John 8:32: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Metropolis asks God to protect Pomorie and all Bulgarian families and to keep children from every delusion.
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