Bulgarian Church Issues Call for Reconciliation amid Protests

Society | August 6, 2013, Tuesday // 20:20|  views

Photo by OffNews.bg

A prayer for peace and national unity was held Tuesday evening at the St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral in Bulgarian capital Sofia on the 54th day of ongoing anti-government protests.

The event was held with the blessing of Bulgarian Orthodox Church Patriarch Neofit and coincided with the Christian feast of the Transfiguration of Christ.

It was initiated after a group of rightist orthodox intellectuals who had been a vocal part of the rallies issued an open letter to Neofit.

"We are praying for all, even for those who are not here and think they do not need our prayer," said Tiveropolis bishop Tikhon, who presided the prayer in Sofia.

In his sermon, bishop Tikhon called for a renewed faith in God, and prudence in everybody's worldy deeds.

"Be very careful in what you wish, because sometimes it transpirse so that what we most desire becomes our punishment," said the cleric.

Earlier Tuesday, Patriarch Neofit held Transfiguration Mass at the Holy Trinity cathedral in Ruse, calling for peace and unity.

Neofit prayed for God to give all Bulgarians "ready hearts to follow the provisions that can contribute to public peace."

He also supplicated for a "spiritual renewal for the whole Bulgarian nation."

The service in Ruse ended with a memorial for predecessor Patriarch Maxim, who passed away nine months ago.

In Sofia, many of those who attended the prayer at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral went on to join a scaled down rally in front of the Council of Ministers.

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Tags: ntellectuals, protests, sofia, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Ruse, Patriarch Maxim, bishop tikhon, Patriarch Neofit, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, bishop tikhon

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