Statement of support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the Patriarch of Bulgaria

The Patriarchate of Bulgaria has expressed its support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and Metropolitan Onufriy through a letter sent by Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria.

The court hearing in the case brought by Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) against the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is currently underway.

According to the UOC’s Information and Educational Department, citing a post on the Telegram channel of the Metropolis’ legal representative, Archpriest Mykyta Chekman, both the court and the Kyiv Metropolis have received letters of support from Patriarch Daniel and hierarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

“A violation of the religious freedom of millions of believers” In his letter, Patriarch Daniel expresses the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s deep concern over the ongoing legal proceedings, warning that “any attempt to deprive the Kyiv Metropolis of its legal status would amount to a violation of the religious freedom of millions of Orthodox faithful.”

Addressing Metropolitan Onufriy, the Patriarch of Bulgaria notes that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church “continues to bear witness to Christ through…