Holy Synod: The court ruling on possibility of registering Old Calendar Orthodox Church could lead to new divisions within Bulgarian Orthodoxy

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate issued a statement in connection with the decision of the Supreme Court of Cassation on the possibility of registering a parallel "Orthodox Church", warning the representatives of the state authorities that the Church in Bulgaria faces the danger of new divisions.

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According to the Holy Synod, the decision of the Supreme Court of Cassation to register the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Calendar Church in the register of religious denominations at the Sofia City Court raises doubts about the identity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate.

The Holy Synod rejects the court's assertion that the difference in the calendar between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Calendar Church is a doctrinal difference. The Synod argues that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is in full Eucharistic and canonical communion with several local Orthodox Churches, where worship is conducted according to the so-called "Old Style."

Such churches include the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and others. Additionally, there are parishes within the BOC itself where services are held according to the "Old Style."

Earlier today, it was made clear that the Bulgarian Council of Ministers also expressed a negative position regarding the registration of the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Calendar Church.

According to the Directorate of Religious Denominations, a religious institution should not be registered by judicial procedure, since the Constitution clearly defines the status of the Patriarchate as an expression of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Source: BNR