site.btaPatriarch Daniil Receives US Ambassador Merten

The Head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC), Patriarch Daniil, received US Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten for an official meeting at the BOC Holy Synod in Sofia on Tuesday, the Patriarch's Office reported on its website.

The meeting was also attended by Bishop Gerasim of Melnik, who is Secretary General of the Holy Synod, the Patriarch's Chief of Cabinet Dimitar Goranov and Evgeni Todorov of the political section of the US Embassy.

The meeting was held at Ambassador Merten's request after Patriarch Daniil attended an Independence Day reception at the US Embassy early in July, the Patriarch's Office said.

Merten congratulated His Holiness again on his election as BOC head and wished him fruitful service at this important post. Daniil noted the longtime productive cooperation between the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese in the US and the US authorities. Special emphasis was laid on the growing role of the Orthodox Church, which is joined by ever more Americans and which constantly expands its pastoral and spiritual activities among the American people.

His Excellency expressed his deep respect for the BOC and its important role in the spiritual instruction of the Bulgarian people, in overcoming many trials in the nation's history such as the five centuries of Ottoman rule, and in rescuing the Bulgarian Jews during World War II.

Daniil paid special attention to the state of freedom of belief and religion in various regions of the world. He noted that restrictions have been imposed on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), headed by Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine. These include restrictions on the freedom of religion and worship, forcible appropriation of church property and instigation of hate speech. According to Daniil, the UOC, which is in Eucharistic communion with the Orthodox churches in other countries, is subject to serious factual and legal restrictions in its pastoral work due to the discriminatory policies of certain factors in Ukraine.

The Bulgarian Patriarch expressed his conviction that the democratic forces of the world, which follow the religious processes, will consider these disturbing developments in Ukraine and will help ensure the freedom of religion, the right to worship and the inviolability of the ownership rights of the UOC. He recalled that religious peace has always been a prerequisite for political and social peace in European history ever since the Reformation, the press release said.