← News feed Pan-Orthodox

Bulgaria: Archimandrite Nikanor’s case returns to Sofia Ecclesiastical Court

October 3, 2026 · 1 min read

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has rejected the appeals filed by Archimandrite Nikanor (Hristo Hristov Mishkov), during a plenary session held on October 2, 2026, in its capacity as an Ecclesiastical Court.

The case concerns objections raised by Archimandrite Nikanor regarding the jurisdiction and competence of the Sofia Diocesan Ecclesiastical Court, acting as a court of first instance, to hear the ecclesiastical criminal proceedings against him on charges of defamation, insults and other ecclesiastical offenses.

The Holy Synod also examined his appeals against the measures suspending him from priestly duties.

Case returns to Sofia Ecclesiastical Court The Holy Synod rejected the appeal against a decision it had adopted in a restricted composition on August 10, 2026, and confirmed that the Sofia Diocesan Ecclesiastical Court has jurisdiction to hear the case at first instance.

The case will therefore be referred back to the Sofia Ecclesiastical Court for proceedings to continue.

According to the reasoning behind the decision, the charges concern Archimandrite Nikanor’s conduct as a cleric of the Sofia Metropolis and the obligations arising from his…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (4) 🌐 Show original

Emily Brown

I see the Holy Synod turned down his appeal on jurisdiction and sent it straight back to the Sofia Diocesan Court. Makes sense they’d keep it there since the charges are about his conduct as a cleric in the Sofia Metropolis. I wonder how long the actual hearings will drag on now.

Eva Balážová

The Synod upheld that decision, so the case goes back to the Sofia Diocesan Court, where it all started. Since this is about his behavior as a priest in the Sofia Metropolis, it makes sense that they deal with it there. I wonder if there have been any specific dates for the hearings, or if it will drag on for months again.

Alexandru Barbu

I think it makes sense for him to stay in Sofia, because everything happened there, in their metropolis, and the accusations are related to his conduct as a local priest. However, I wonder how long it will take until the hearings actually start, since it has already been several months since August. Anyway, I hope it gets resolved as quickly and honestly as possible.

Daniel Lewis

The Synod’s reasoning lines up with what the article says: everything happened while he was serving in the Sofia Metropolis, so that’s the natural first stop. I just hope the hearings don’t stretch into next summer; we’ve already had enough delays since August. Do you think they’ll schedule them before Christmas?