site.btaBulgarian Patriarch Daniil Celebrates Divine Liturgy at St. Nedelya Cathedral

Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil celebrated a patriarchal divine liturgy at the St. Nedelya Cathedral in Sofia on Sunday. In his sermon, the Patriarch emphasized that, above all, it is trust in God that carries people through difficulties and uncertainties.

"Today, unexpectedly and unplanned, we are blessed by the presence of the icon of the Theotokos Gerontissa from the Pantocrator Monastery at Mount Athos. It is here with a priest from Ukraine, Archpriest Gennady, whose ancestors emigrated from the Adrianople region 200 years ago and settled in Ukraine," said the Patriarch.

Daniil reminded the congregation that there are currently some 200,000 Bulgarians living in Ukraine, who still remember and speak the Bulgarian language the same way it was spoken by their ancestors two centuries ago.

In 2011, Archpriest Gennady began construction of a spiritual complex near the town of Artsyz, about 100 kilometres from Odesa. The complex replicates, in full scale, the Great Basilica of Pliska, as well as the two renowned basilicas of Nessebar and Pliska, combining elements from churches in Preslav, Veliko Tarnovo, and Ravenna. A model of the project was on display inside St. Nedelya Cathedral.

Daniil said that, thanks to volunteers, including some from Bulgaria, the spiritual centre is now nearly complete.

A news conference with more details about the project is scheduled for Monday, he added. "We are making our humble contribution as well. We are donating BGN 1,000 in support of this project," said the Patriarch.