Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has rejected a request of Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora (Bulgarian Orthodox Church) to perform Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen of the Bulgarian Community in Turkey’s Edirne, romfea.gr reported on October 2.
The report says that the Bulgarian Community in Edirne is in jurisdiction of the Constantinople Patriarchy and therefore, Patriarch Bartholomew has an influence on such developments.
According to Bulgarain sources, this situation is a result of tensions between the Bulgarian Orhodox Church and the Constantinople Patriarchy over the so-called Ukraine question. No local cuhrch has supported the decision of Constantinople to support the creation of the non-canonic ‘independent’ Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Therefore, now, Patriarch Bartholomew is using its influence to pressure local churches to support this dead-born project.
