site.btaCabinet Issues Negative Position on Registration of Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria

The Council of Ministers' Directorate of Religious Affairs has more than once issued negative positions on the registration of the Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria (OCOCB). The latest expert opinion was issued on August 12, 2022, when it was sent to the Trade Unit of the Sofia City Court, the Government Information Service said on Monday. In this relation, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev is of the firm opinion that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is one and indivisible, underlining the importance of its unity for society, the press release reads.

In mid-December, a final judgment was issued by which the Supreme Court of Cassation entered the OCOCB into the Register of Religious Denominations with the Sofia City Court. The judgment came after a decades-long battle for registration of the OCOCB, which traces its beginnings to 1968 when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church decided to switch from the Julian Calendar to the Revised Julian Calendar. The Supreme Court of Cassation's judgment was criticized by Patriarch Daniil and political parties.

The expert opinion of the Council of Ministers' Directorate of Religious Affairs reads that Article 13(3) of the Constitutions says "Eastern Orthodox Christianity shall be considered the traditional religion in the Republic of Bulgaria", and Article 10 of the Religious Denominations Act specifies that Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the traditional religion in the country with a historical role for the Bulgarian State and topical significance for state life. Article 10 reads further that Eastern Orthodox Christianity is represented by the self-governing Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which is led by the Holy Synod and is represented by the Bulgarian Patriarch. In this relation, the Directorate of Religious Affairs finds that the statute presented for the registration of the newly established religious institution, particularly Article 5 and its name, contradicts the provisions listed.

The expert opinion concludes that the matter is regulated by law, and the Eastern Orthodox religious institution should not be seeking registration through court.