The second day of the visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Bulgaria continues with a solemn hierarchal holy liturgy in the patriarchal cathedral “St. Alexander Nevsky“ in Sofia. The service begins at 9:30, with the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel participating in the prayer.
At noon, at 12:00, the two patriarchs will serve a requiem prayer at the grave of the blessed Patriarch Neophyte. The grave is located under the colonnade of the capital's temple “St. Nedelya“. The information about the program was reported by BGNES and confirmed by the published program of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.
The visit is dedicated to Saint John of Rila
Bartholomew arrived in Bulgaria on October 17 at the invitation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for the celebrations on the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of the birth and 1080th anniversary of the ascension of Saint John of Rila the Wonderworker. During the official welcome at the Synodal Palace, Patriarch Daniil stated: “Our hearts are open to you, with brotherly love in Christ“.
In response, the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized the unity of the Orthodox Church and the need to uphold it constantly. “Church unity does not cease to be a constant task awaiting its realization“, said Bartholomew.
On the first day of his visit, Bartholomew, together with Patriarch Daniil, opened the exhibition “Holy Mountain in Sofia“ at the National Palace of Culture. The exhibition presents works by Evtimii Varlamis and photographs related to the monks of Mount Athos.
The culmination will be in the Rila Monastery
The three-day visit will end on October 19, when a festive conciliar patriarchal divine liturgy will be celebrated in the Rila Holy Monastery. The beginning is announced for 9:00 a.m. The celebrations are dedicated to Saint John of Rila, considered the heavenly patron of the Bulgarian people.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, bgnes.bg, paragrafa.com