The Ecumenical Patriarch on Saint John of Rila: It is a gold coin bearing the seal of Godtranslated

"It is a gold coin bearing the seal of God," His Holiness Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch, said Monday of St. John of Rila at Bulgaria's Rila Monastery, where he served with Patriarch Daniil of Bulgaria.

The Holy Liturgy took place on the day of commemoration of Saint John of Rila, the founder of the monastic settlement, on the 1,150th anniversary of his birth and the 1,080th anniversary of his transition to the Lord.

The Rila Monastery, dedicated to the "Nativity of the Mother of God", is one of the most important spiritual centers of Bulgaria and is part of the UNESCO world heritage.

The Bulgarians are the sons of Saint John of Rila The Ecumenical Patriarch together with the hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Photo credit: Ecumenical Patriarchate / Nikos Papachristou Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I highlighted the devotion of the Bulgarian people to Saint John of Rila.

"There is no faithful Bulgarian Orthodox Christian who does not consider himself a son of St. John of Rila! You all love him very much! You honor him and call him in prayer!"

His Holiness emphasized that the saint represents an example of authentic living of the faith: "Saint John of Rila...