BOC Patriarch: OCU is non-canonical, 11 out of 15 Churches don't recognize it
The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has called for prayers for the persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
During a liturgy at the Church of Saint Ivan Rilski in the city of Pernik, Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia addressed the congregation with a call to pray for the preservation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports Bulgarian National Radio.
He also emphasized that the UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox Church) is the only canonical church in Ukraine. “The Ukrainian Rada passed a law that foresees the closure of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine. As you know, 11 out of 15 local Orthodox churches have not recognized the church structure created in 2019, so-called OCU – the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which means it is not a canonical church,” added Patriarch Daniel.
In conclusion, Patriarch Daniel called for the immediate cessation of the conflict in Ukraine and expressed hope for the preservation of the UOC.
As reported by the UOJ, the Bulgarian Patriarch informed the US ambassador about the persecution of the UOC.