site.btaPrime Minister Welcomes Parliament's Efforts to Prevent Orthodox Church Disunity

The issue of the existence of two registered Orthodox churches in Bulgaria is within the competence of the National Assembly, and the solution should be based on the rule of law and the separation of powers, Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev told the MPs on Thursday. He spoke in the debating chamber of the Assembly about a December 16 court decision to register the Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria (OCOCB) and the government's actions against this institution, which some factors see as a threat to the unity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC).

Glavchev said: "The position of the Council of Ministers remains unchanged. There is one indivisible Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and its unity is crucial to our society. I welcome the MPs' efforts in this respect, and I believe that, together, we can improve the legislative framework and prevent disunity in the BOC."

Reviewing the history of the case, the Prime Minister noted that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled unanimously that the initial refusal to register the OCOCB violated the freedom of thought, conscience and religion enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. He said the ECHR identified a systemic problem with freedom of religion in Bulgaria, which had led the Court to sentence the country in other cases.