site.btaBulgarian Patriarch Daniil Meets with US Ambassador Kenneth Merten

On Sunday, Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil, temporary head of the Vidin Diocese, welcomed in Vidin US Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said. 

During his unofficial visit, Ambassador Merten was accompanied by his wife, Susan Merten, by National Assembly Deputy Chair and Vidin MP Rositsa Kirova, as well as by Vidin Mayor Dr. Tsvetan Tsenkov. Patriarch Daniil showed his guest the mausoleum of the first Bulgarian Exarch Antim I.

Patriarch Daniil told Ambassador Merten about the important role of Exarch Antim I in the activation of Western diplomacy after the bloody suppression of the April Uprising and the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. Patriarch Daniil also spoke about the life and work of the Metropolitans of Vidin from the Liberation until today.

The guests visited the St. Panteleimon Church which dates from the beginning of the 17th century, and were impressed by the restoration and conservation works carried out, as well as by the beauty of the wall paintings. The meeting continued in the metropolitan building, as the host and guests exchanged gifts.