Bulgarian Court Sides with Official Who Called Patriarch Kirill KGB Agent After His 2018 Visit

Pravoslavie ^ | 4/22/21

[marshmallow]

A Bulgarian court has ruled that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia visited Bulgaria in March 2018 more as a politician than a cleric. Therefore, it found no slander or offense against religious sensibilities in the words of then-Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Valery Simeonov who called the Patriarch a KGB agent in response to the Russian primate’s own controversial statements.

The Sofia District Court gave its ruling on March 17, reports the Balkan Observer.

On March 3, 2018, Bulgaria celebrated the 140th anniversary of the San Stefano Peace Treaty that provided for the establishment of an autonomous Principality of Bulgaria following nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule. The treaty was signed between the Russian and Ottoman Empires, bringing an end to the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78).

During his time in Bulgaria, Pat. Kirill concelebrated with His Holiness Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria and met with the Holy Synod and important Bulgarian politicians. Having served with the Bulgarian primate, Pat. Kirill addressed the worshipers:

I pray now that the centuries-old spiritual connection between our peoples, which manifested itself 140 years ago, will remain inviolable for all times and will find expression in fraternal consensus and readiness to make efforts to strengthen the unity of Holy Orthodoxy, preserve Christian values and the Orthodox traditions of the fathers. I cordially greet you all with this wonderful anniversary and a wonderful holiday for the Bulgarian and Russian people. Amen

The controversy came in Pat. Kirill’s response to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev who, during the parade on the anniversary, thanked all the peoples who fought against the Ottoman Empire. Letters of gratitude were also sent to the governments of Poland, Romania, Montenegro, Moldova, Finland, Serbia, and Ukraine.

For his part, Pat. Kirill criticized the President’s speech, stressing that Bulgaria should only thank Russia.