Head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad visits Sofia

On 12 June 2018, Archbishop Antony of Vienna and Budapest, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad, paid a short working visit to Sofia, Bulgaria, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Archbishop Antony was received by His Holiness Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria at the premises of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Attending the meeting were Metropolitans Joanikij of Sliven, Grigorij of Veliko Tărnovo, Joan of Varna and Veliki Preslav, Daniil of Vidin, General Secretary of the Holy Synod Bishop Gerasim of Melnik, Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and Al Russia to the Patriarch of Bulgaria, and hieromonk Zotik (Gayevsky) a cleric of the Russian church of St. Nicholas in Sofia.

Archbishop Antony conveyed brotherly good wishes to His Holiness Patriarch Neofit from the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. The activity of the Representation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia and issues pertaining to inter-Orthodox relations were discussed.

That same day Archbishop Antony visited the church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-worker, venerated the relics of St. Seraphim of Boguchar, and departed for Moscow He was seen off at Sofia airport by Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev) and hieromonk Zotik (Gayevsky).