On November 22, 2024, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who is in Bulgaria with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in connection with the celebration of the centenary of the consecration of the Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral in Sofia, visited this main temple of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan Antoni of Volokolamsk.
At the entrance to the cathedral, Metropolitan Anthony and his entourage were met by the rector — Bishop Gerasim of Melnish. After worshipping the relics in the church, Metropolitan Anthony and Bishop Gerasim celebrated a solemn thanksgiving service in honor of the centenary of the consecration of the church. The hierarchs were served by Counselor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Protopriest Nikolai Balashov, Vice-Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia Protopriest Igor Yakimchuk and Archpriest Vladimir Tyshchuk, rector of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia.
After the prayer service Bishop Gerasim of Melnish addressed the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church with words of greeting. He expressed his joy in connection with the With a prayerful communion, which took place in the historic Alexander Nevsky Church, built jointly by Russians and Bulgarians and demonstrating the Christian love that has united the two brotherly peoples since ancient times.
Afterwards, Metropolitan Anthony made a reply, in which he emphasized that the Sofia church in the name of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky is not only a house of prayer, but also a monument to the Russian soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of the Bulgarian people and thus fulfilled the Gospel covenant: «There is no greater love than if someone lays down his life for his friends» (John 15:13). As the hierarch noted, the unity of the two peoples is based on the holy Orthodox faith and common history, and no evil forces can shake this unity.
EOCS Communication Service/Patriarchy.ru
