Bulgaria Declares Day of Mourning over Dead Orthodox Patriarch

Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva paid her respect to deceased Patriarch Maxim at the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia Tuesday. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Council of Ministers has decided to schedule a of national day of mourning over the death of Orthodox Patriarch Maxim, who passed away at the age of 98 on Tuesday.

The national day of mourning is scheduled for Friday, November 9, the Focus news agency informs.

Patriarch Maxim was the oldest Primate of Orthodox Church Patriarchs around the world, and he was at the helm for a record-long 41 years. He died shortly on Tuesday after spending a month in hospital and will be buried on Friday.

In the 2011 census, 76% of all Bulgarian citizens who decided to answer the religious affiliation question declared themselves Orthodox Christians, or 59.4% of the total population (the religious affiliation question was optional). There is no official religion in Bulgaria.

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