Bishop Meletius of Znepol Consecrates New BTA Press Club in Athens

Vanya Nakova, Filip Pavlov

Bishop Meletius of Znepol consecrates new BTA Press Club in Athens, February 14, 2026 (BTA Photo/Milena Stoykova)

Athens, Greece,

14.02.2026 13:11

(BTA)

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A new BTA press club in the Greek capital of Athens was consecrated by Bishop Meletius of Znepol, Rector of the St. John of Rila Theological Seminary of Sofia, on Saturday. The consecration was performed on the feast day of St Constantine Cyril the Philosopher, celebrated by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on February 14.

"Today is a festive day and it is our great joy that after considerable effort the moment has come for the opening of this press club in Athens. We begin it with a prayer on a significant day for us, when the memory of St. Cyril the Philosopher is celebrated," Bishop Meletius of Znepol said as he offered a prayer for the blessing of all who will work in the new BTA press club.

"May God help us all and may we wish that the news that will be transmitted from here be news of goodness, of righteousness, of truth," he noted, emphasizing the closeness between the Bulgarian and Greek people. He conveyed the blessing of the Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil, as well as Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.

As of Saturday, BTA will have 44 press clubs. Of these, 27 are located in the regional centres of Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Stara Zagora, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol. There are six press clubs in the non-regional cities of Gotse Delchev, Kazanlak, Petrich, Samokov, Svishtov, and Troyan. There are nine outside the country - in Ankara (Turkiye), Athens (Greece), Belgrade (Serbia), Bosilegrad (Serbia), Bucharest (Romania), Odesa (Ukraine), Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia), and Taraclia (Moldova), and at the Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island. Two press clubs are temporary - aboard the first Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) and the Book Fair.

/MY/