Archbishop Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk meets with representatives of the leading mass media in Bulgaria

ARCHBISHOP CLEMENT OF KALUGA AND BOROVSK MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE LEADING MASS MEDIA IN BULGARIA

Archbishop Clement, first vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, met on February 17, 2003, with representatives of the leading central mass media in Bulgaria.

His Eminence Clement spoke about the mission of Orthodoxy in today’s world and in uniting Europe, relations with non-Christian churches, and peace initiatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Balkans and the Middle East.

Answering a question about the Moscow Patriarchate’s attitude to the problem of schism in Bulgarian Orthodoxy, Archbishop Clement noted that the Supreme Authority of the Russian Orthodox Church repeatedly stated its support for His Holiness Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria as the only legitimate Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. “We stand up for the unity of the canonical Church of Bulgaria and welcome the legislative initiatives made by the leadership of the country as taking into account the interests and aspirations of the faithful of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church”, he said.

Taking part in the meeting was also Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations.

The full text of the interview given by Archbishop Clement of Kaluga and Borovks to Bulgarian journalists will be placed on the site later.