site.btaPatriarch Daniil Meets with UK Ambassador to Bulgaria

Patriarch Daniil met with UK Ambassador to Bulgaria Nathaniel Copsey, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) said on Wednesday. The meeting was also attended by BOC Holy Synod Chief Secretary Bishop Gerasim of Melnik.

During the reception, Daniil shared his impressions of his visit to the UK and the consecration of the Bulgarian St John of Rila Church in London, as well as of the meetings with Bulgarians in the British capital. The UK Ambassador said he was impressed by the beauty of the new church and appreciated its importance for the spiritual care of the Orthodox Bulgarians in the UK, who number around 300,000. Copsey praised BOC's role in preserving the Bulgarian nation through the vicissitudes of history.

Daniil added: "The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has an important role in the formation and preservation of our national identity, but it also has an important place in our contemporary society. It is a spiritual support for our nation and testifies to the timeless values, to the meaning of human life, to the eternal life in God."

During the meeting, various problems facing contemporary European society were also discussed, as well as the possibilities for working to successfully overcome the crises the world is going through.