site.bta80th Birth Anniversary of Late Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte

Patriarch Neophyte, who headed the Bulgarian Orthodox Church from 2013 until his death in Sofia on March 13, 2024, was born 80 years ago on Wednesday.

Having taken monastic vows under the name of Neophyte, he was ordained hierodeacon in August 1975 and hieromonk in March 1976 and was elevated to archimandrite in November 1977. He served as protosyngellos (chancellor) of the Sofia Metropolitanate between January 1981 and December 1985.

He held an honorary doctorate from the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia (2008) and was awarded the Order of the Balkan Range, First Class (2015), the Collar of the Order of Sts Cyril and Methodius for services to the advancement of the research and education contacts and relationships between Eastern and Western Christians (2010), and a Badge of Honour by Pope Francis (2015). 

Following is the original English-language news item of BTA's External Service of February 24, 2013, covering Patriarch Neophyte's election and enthronement:

"102 BULGARIA - NEW PATRIARCH - ELECTED amplified 2
Metropolitan Neophyte of Rousse Elected New Bulgarian Patriarch

Sofia, February 24 (BTA) - Metropolitan Neophyte of Rousse was elected Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia here on Sunday.

"Metropolitan Neophyte of Rousse was elected Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia in compliance with canon, the law and the Statute," Metropolitan Joseph of the US, Australia and Canada, Spokesman for the Patriarchal Election Council, told journalists in front of the Holy Synod headquarters.

This was the first such election in 42 years, the first since the advent of democracy in 1989, and the first to be held under the new Statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, adopted in December 2008. The procedure took place amidst unprecedented transparency. National Television broadcast live the voting from the Holy Synod. Security was also tight, despite lukewarm public interest. 

Enthronement

After a processional litany from the Holy Synod headquarters to the St Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Memorial Cathedral, Patriarch Neophyte was enthroned at a solemn liturgy in the presence of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva, outgoing Defence Minister Anyu Angelov, Regional Development and Public Works Liliyana Pavlova, Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov, Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Sergei Stanishev, foreign ambassadors, and hundreds of members of the public. Also attending are some 40 guests from local Orthodox churches, including Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech lands and Slovakia and Archbishop of Prague, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volkolamsk, Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as metropolitans, bishops and other envoys of the rest of the Orthodox patriarchates, archbishoprics and metropolitanates. The last Bulgarian king and former prime minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was also at the ceremony as a guest of honour.

At the enthronement, Neophyte, standing on a special dais at the centre of the Cathedral, replaced the patriarchal mitre by an epanokalimavkion (a stiff cylindrical headgear covered by a white veil with a jewelled cross on the front of the veil). He was vested in a green mantle embroidered with the initials "B.P." for 'Bulgarian Patriarch'. The rest of the patriarchal insignia: an engolpion, a pectoral cross and a crosier, were presented to him by three metorpolitans in order of seniority.

In a speech during the enthronement, President Plevneliev expressed expectations that the new Patriarch will contribute to Orthodox unity and the strengthening of the faith, to respect for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and will preserve its integrity. He said that Neophyte was "worthy and wise, elected freely with the grace of God".

At the end of the ceremony, Foreign Minister Mladenov read a congratulatory address to the newly elected Patriarch on behalf of the Government. The Government expresses its conviction that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church headed by Patriarch Neophyte will keep its exceedingly important role in the process of Bulgaria's development and in maintaining mutual respect among religious communities. 

In front of the Cathedral, the newly elected Patriarch blessed the congregation and said that he will pray for peace. He called for peace in the souls of people and wished them happiness in aspiring to achieve what is good for themselves and for their country.

Election

The new head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was voted in office by a special Patriarchal Election Council, consisting of 142 delegates: 14 metropolitans, 19 bishops, 48 priests, 13 monks, 11 nuns, 32 lay persons, three representatives of the three large stavropegic monasteries: Rila, Bachkovo and Troyan, and one representative each of the Sofia and the Plovdiv theological seminaries. 

Of the 142 delegates, 138 presented themselves at Sunday's Council. To be elected, the new Patriarch needed a two-thirds majority of those attending, i.e. 92 votes. In the first round of voting, none of the three candidates achieved this: Neophyte garnered 72 votes, Gavriil 43, and Galaktion 22. One ballot paper was pronounced invalid.

The Council then proceeded with a second round of voting limited to the top two vote getters: Neophyte and Gavriil. In the second round, Neophyte won by 90 votes.

The new Patriarch was chosen by secret ballot from among three candidates elected by the Holy Synod in as many as 26 rounds of voting on February 15 and 16: Metropolitans Galaktion of Stara Zagora (who received ten votes at the Synod), Neophyte of Rousse (nine votes) and Gavriil of Lovech (nine votes).

The election of a new patriarch comes after the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for 41 years, Patriarch Maxim, died in November 2012 at the age of 98. According to the Statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, eligibility for patriarch is limited to metropolitans who serve as heads of an eparchy and who have headed an eparchy for at least five years, who are at least 50 years old, and who have distinguished themselves by correct views of the Orthodox faith and strict adherence to ecclesiastical procedure.

Person and powers

Metropolitan Neophyte of Rousse was born Simeon Nikolov Dimitrov in Sofia on October 15, 1945. He graduated from the Sofia Theological Academy in 1971 and specialized at the Moscow Theological Academy in 1971-73. He took monastic vows in 1975 and was ordained Bishop of Levka and appointed patriarchal vicar in 1985 [until 1989]. Neophyte was Rector of the Sofia Theological Academy in 1989-1991. In 1991-92, he was the first dean of the reinstated Theological Department of Sofia University. He was Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod in 1992-94. He became Metropolitan of Dorostol and Cherven in 1994 and, after Rousse became a separate eparchy in 2001, he was appointed Metropolitan of Rousse. Neophyte is the best chanter among the senior clergy. He used to conduct Sofia's priests choir and taught church chanting at the Theological Academy [1977-1980]. 

The new spiritual leader takes over the helm of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at a difficult time for it. He will have to address church unity, isolation from current public concerns, and a bad financial standing of the institution as a result of which the number of priests has dwindled to some 1,000 and of monks to 100.

Under the Statute, the Patriarch is elected for life but may resign "at his own will and for reasons admissible by church canon". He is concurrently Metropolitan of Sofia and resides in the capital. The Patriarch is the most senior church dignitary and represents the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in relations with the local orthodox churches, central and local government officials in Bulgaria, foreign States and their diplomatic representatives, international organizations and other religious denominations at home and abroad. The Patriarch convenes and presides over the meetings of the Church Council, the Council of Hierarchs and the Holy Synod, sees to the prompt and exact compliance with their decisions, ordains bishops, consecrates Holy Chrism, exercises control over observance of church discipline and order, and addresses messages to the clergy and laity. LG/LG"