Bishop of Ukrainian Orthodox Church meets with Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria
On 24 February 2020, Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnitsa and Bar, currently on a visit to Bulgaria with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine, met with His Holiness Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria.
Metropolitan Varsonofy congratulated Patriarch Neofit on the 7th anniversary of his ascension to the ancient Patriarchal Throne, conveyed greetings from Metropolitan Onufry, wished His Holiness good health and abundant God’s aid in his primatial ministry for the good of the Holy Orthodox Church, and presented him with the patriarchal cross and pectoral icon.
Attending the meeting were Bishop Gerasim of Melnik, chief secretary of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; Bishop Polikarp of Belogradchik, vicar of the Metropolis of Sofia; Archimandrite Vasily (Savov), protosingel of the Metropolis of Sofia; Rev. oikonomos Nikolai Georgiev, head of the public relations department; and Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), representative of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Bulgaria.
Metropolitan Varsonofy told Patriarch Neofit about the difficult religious situation in Ukraine, the interference of the authorities to the church affairs, forcible detainer of churches, and various other problems.
His Holiness Patriarch Neofit wished the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to keep their firm faith with patience and, with God’s aid, to withstand pressure brought on them and their canonical Church.
Metropolitan Varsonofy thanked His Holiness Patriarch Neofit, bishops and clerics of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for hospitality and warm reception, website of the Patriarchal metochion in Sofia reports.