A meeting was held today in the Synodal Palace between His Holiness Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil and His Eminence Metropolitan of Homs (Emesa) Gregory Abdullah Khoury. The meeting took place in a spirit of mutual respect, understanding and fraternal solidarity, with sincere gratitude expressed for the good and warm relations between the Bulgarian community in the United Arab Emirates, located in the diocese of the Church of Antioch, as well as for the hospitality we have always received. His Eminence conveyed the fraternal greetings of the Patriarch of Antioch, His Beatitude John X, to His Holiness Patriarch Daniil and the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church-Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
We recall that St. The Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church-Bulgarian Orthodox Church in its session on 16.02.2021, prot. No. 1 – full composition, at the request of Orthodox Bulgarians permanently residing in the territory of the United Arab Emirates and in particular Dubai, assigned the Western and Central European Metropolitan Anthony to take all necessary actions to establish a Bulgarian Orthodox Church Community in Dubai.
Many Christians from all over the world live and work in the UAE, where there are already permanent Orthodox clergy in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Our Bulgarian community is also alive and active – about 3,000 Bulgarians live in Dubai, of which between 70 and 100 are regular parishioners. The Orthodox Church Community in the UAE bears the name of St. John the Wonderworker of Rila – patron saint of the Bulgarian people – and is supported by the Patriarchate of Antioch.
A number of important issues were discussed during the meeting, including the difficult situation after the war of Christians in Syria, who are undergoing serious trials, but do not lose hope and trust in God. Metropolitan Grigoriy appealed to His Holiness the Patriarch, as well as to all Orthodox Christians to pray for the Antiochian Orthodox Church, which needs support, and expressed gratitude for the consistent position of the Holy Synod in protecting the Christian population of the country.
His Holiness, in turn, also asked the Christians of the Church of Antioch to pray for the Bulgarian people, “because the confessors of the faith are closer to Christ“. “With common faith, mutual respect and unity, we can continue building bridges between our peoples and churches“, Patriarch Daniil also said.
The meeting was attended by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe, His Eminence Bishop Gerasim of Melnik – Secretary General of the Holy Synod, Ivan Yordanov - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Archimandrite Parthenius of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, and others.
The meeting ended with the hope for a joyful and blessed celebration of the Nativity of Christ, and symbolic gifts were exchanged.