Bulgarian Metropolitan of Plovdiv claims that he will not become Patriarch
When asked if the hierarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church had written a statement declining to participate in the patriarchal elections, Metropolitan Nicholas did not respond.
In Bulgaria, Metropolitan Nicholas of Plovdiv did not answer whether he had submitted a statement refusing to participate in the elections for the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which is slated for June 30, reports the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.
"I will not be the Patriarch. This I can say, but you don't even have an idea who will be the Patriarch," he told journalists during the solemn ceremony of welcoming the new Metropolitan of Sliven, Arseny, in Burgas.
As reported by the UOUJ, Professor Ivan Zhelev revealed that Metropolitan Nicholas of Plovdiv, who concelebrated with the OCU, did not withdraw his candidacy from the elections for the position of Patriarch of the Bulgarian Church.
