On All Saints' Day, when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the Synaxis of All-Praiseworthy Twelve Apostles of Christ and the memory of all known and unknown martyrs and confessors of Christ, the laity in Bulgaria were rewarded for their faith. There is hardly anyone happier than the people of God, who welcome their prayer-answered spiritual father after long and tense days of trials. Immediately after the announcement of the elected head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the laity chanted "Worthy! Worthy! Worthy!". They filled the space around the "St. Alexander Nevsky" Cathedral, where the enthronement of the new Bulgarian Patriarch took place.

• Patriarch Daniil: I accept the cross of the patriarchal ministry entrusted to me today

Some of the priests who participated in the election received the news with moderate enthusiasm. Some of them openly criticized the election in the media or kept silence. On social networks, where people freely express their emotions, there was also a certain group of dissatisfied people who did not hide their disappointment, predicting apocalyptic scenarios involving church dependencies and geopolitical influences.

Others, like Father Georgi Tanchev from Kresna, openly expressed their satisfaction:

"A worthy choice. All three candidates were worthy hierarchs", Father Georgi told Radio Bulgaria. Congratulations to Metropolitan Gregory, but it is God's will that Daniil be elected as the new patriarch. He is an exceptional man. He began his spiritual journey from our diocese. Daniil is an extremely gentle, humble and hardworking monk. We believe that the patriarchate will not change him in any way. An exceptional man. We are very happy for him’’.

Economos staurophor Yulian Angelov from the Bulgarian cathedral in Berlin, founder of the church community in Hamburg, has more:

''May the Bulgarian Patriarch be worthy, as he is a worthy metropolitan. I have known him for many years. He is from my hometown, where he served as a bishop before. He is a worthy person! May God give him strength, health, and many years to govern."

• Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin is the new Bulgarian Patriarch

Yuliy Yordanov, a member of the Control Committee of the Union of Bulgarian Writers and author of numerous books on literary criticism and literary history, was also in front of the Synodal Palace.

"Together with the new Bulgarian Patriarch, we have established the only national literary competition named after Exarch Antim I, said Yuliy Yordanov. – Exarch Antim I once served as a Metropolitan of Vidin. Thanks to Grandfather Daniil, we managed to gather participants aged 5 to 105 for this competition. You can imagine how excited I am right now. I am confident that His Holiness Patriarch Daniil will now have the opportunity to work so that faith may grow even deeper in the hearts and souls of Bulgarians."

Metropolitan Gregory of Veliko Tarnovo told Radio Bulgaria that the election of the Bulgarian Patriarch is "a demonstration of God's love, God's will, and God's grace towards the Bulgarian people. This is God's justice!" Thus, Metropolitan Gregory hinted at the power of prayers that the faithful offered over the past month, asking God to grant the cross of the patriarchate to the most worthy metropolitan who would carry it for the greatest benefit of our Church and the salvation of our people:

"This shows the unity and the strength of the Holy Orthodoxy. The Bulgarian people have been Orthodox for many, many centuries. What is interesting is that 620 years after the death of Saint Euthimius of Tarnovo (the last Bulgarian medieval patriarch), God's finger again shows us something, despite the difficulties, despite all kinds of trials", said Metropolitan Gregory of Veliko Tarnovo. Bulgaria was forcibly destroyed as a patriarchate. And I say this as Metropolitan of Tarnovo. Sultan Bayezid destroyed it using all sorts of atrocities, but in the same year 1403, he met a gruesome end. God shall not be mocked! Why do I say this? Because Bulgaria is not an empire of bloodshed, but an empire of enlightenment. Many of the eastern nations were enlightened precisely because of Bulgaria."

Metropolitan Gregory recalls the glorious past of the Tarnovo Patriarchate (that is how the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was called in the period 1235-1416), when in 1235, during the time of Tsar Ivan Asen II, Bulgaria was in the Pentarchy, along with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem - the Mother Church, the Patriarchates of Antioch, Alexandria and Nicaea, when Byzantium was conquered by the Crusaders.

"As I look at politicians now, as I look at interpreters, I ask myself - do these people realize what a great legacy this act represents? As for our Patriarch, our new young Patriarch - he is exactly where he belongs. He is enlightened, with excellent English, active, hardworking, a spiritual leader, a theologian. I could go on and on listing his abilities. Just ask what he has already done in Vidin in just a few years - he has truly revived that diocese. May God help Bulgaria, as our President said - to protect this country, because it deserves to be protected.

God will never forsake us, for we do not forsake Him, though we are sinful. And let us always say this prayer: ‘Before thee, O Lord, we sin, but to thee only we pray’’. Bulgaria is not schismatic. Attempts were made to divide us, but we did not allow it. Bulgaria knows what to do and it is a serious, influential factor in European history and culture. May God protect us!''

See also:

• 5 facts testifying that Bulgaria has one of the oldest cultures in Europe

  
  

• 150 years since establishment of Bulgarian Exarchate

  
  

• 60 years since restoration of Bulgarian Patriarchate