Number of Religions in Bulgaria Swells to 106

Bulgaria's Diaspora Minister Dimitrov said 106 religions are recognized in Bulgaria. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian state has recognized the 106th religion on the territory of the country, Diaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov has announced.

The last religion to have been recognized by the Bulgarian government very recently is diamondway Buddhism, said Dimitrov, who is also in charge of the State Religions Directorate, in addition to the Bulgarians Abroad.

“Upon taking office eight months ago, I was startled to discover that there were 101 registered religions in Bulgaria. Now they have become 106 with the last five ones that have been recognized since our government took over,” stated the Diaspora Minister after a lecture at the Veliko Tarnovo University.

He said there are both Sunni and Shia Muslims in Bulgaria, three different currents of Buddhism as well as religions such as Zoroastrianism and Tengriism.

“Religion is a nice thing because it is a moral code and does not overlap with ethnicity. There is no Bulgarian and no Turkish religion. Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism each have several denominations which don’t coincide with ethnic boundaries. There could be a people, a nation with several religions, and Bulgaria is a fine example of that,” Dimitrov stated as cited by dir.bg.

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