Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church cooperate for the progress of the Bulgarian communities abroad
02 October 2014 News
Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Mitov expressed the willingness of the Bulgarian diplomatic service to support the activities of the BOC among the Bulgarian communities abroad. Minister Mitov held a meeting with His Holiness Neophyte, the Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia, which took place in the patriarchal residence at the Sofia bishopric.
The Bulgarian Patriarch welcomed the Minister and thanked the Bulgarian government on behalf of the Holy Synod and the entire BOC for yesterday’s decision to grant the ownership of St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the intensive dialogue and cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the BOC mostly among Bulgarian communities abroad, whose numbers have increased in recent years, as well as the need to be assisted both in administrative and spiritual terms.
Minister Mitov expressed strong concern over the growing danger of the Islamic State in the Middle East and the cruel persecution of Christians in the region.
The meeting was attended by the Head of the Minister’s Cabinet Vladimir Milanov, Bishop Branitski Gregory, vicar of Sofia metropolitan and the Secretary General of the Holy Synod of the BOC, Archimandrite Gerasim.