SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) – Bulgarians lined the streets of Sofia on Saturday to bid farewell to the late Orthodox Patriarchate Newcomer.
The spiritual leader of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church died on Wednesday at the age of 78 after a long illness.
Officials follow the coffin of the late Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch as it travels from the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to the burial site in St. Peter’s Church. Nedelya” held in Sofia on March 16, 2024. Bulgaria has said a final farewell to Orthodox Christian religious leader Patriarch Neophyte, who died on March 13 at the age of 78. (Photo by Nikolai Doitinov/AFP) (Photo by Nikolai Doitinov/AFP via Getty Images)
Shinsei, who became patriarch in 2013, was the first elected head of the Bulgarian church after the fall of communism in 1989. His modest and charismatic leadership earned him respect among his followers.
Novice’s funeral attracted not only religious and political leaders, but also ordinary Bulgarians who missed him.
Top Shot – A woman pays homage to the late new Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church during his funeral at the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia on March 15, 2024. Bulgaria has bid a final farewell to the new Patriarch, the religious leader of the Christian Orthodox Church. She passed away on March 13th at the age of 78. (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP) (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)
The Patriarch’s body, draped in a gold-embroidered cloth, was placed in the center of Sofia’s main Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, while church elders in white robes greeted the solemn toll of bells. Below, he led the funeral prayers.
Bartholomew I, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Church, led the memorial service.
Bartholomew is considered first among his peers among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence, but not the power of a Catholic pope. Most of the Eastern Orthodox world is self-governing under its own patriarchs.
A guard of honor carries the coffin of the late Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church during the funeral procession from the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to the burial site in St. Peter’s Church. Nedelya” held in Sofia on March 16, 2024. Bulgaria has said a final farewell to Orthodox Christian religious leader Patriarch Neophyte, who died on March 13 at the age of 78. (Photo by Nikolai Doitinov/AFP) (Photo by Nikolai Doitinov/AFP via Getty Images)
The main religion in Bulgaria is Orthodoxy, followed by approximately 85% of the population of 6.7 million.
“The newcomer will be remembered as an impeccable and perfect clergyman, as a nurturer of Orthodoxy and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and as a person who called for unity and unity,” said parliament speaker Rosen Zhelyazkov. .
After the memorial service, a funeral procession carried Neophyte’s coffin to the Cathedral of St. Nedelja, where his body was laid to rest.
Mourners line up to pay their respects to the late new Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church during his funeral at the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia on March 15, 2024. Bulgaria bids its final farewell to Orthodox Christianity. Patriarch Neophyte, the leader who died on March 13 at the age of 78 (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV/AFP) (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)
People packed along the sidewalk stood silently and respectfully as the procession passed. The coffin was placed in a black-draped cannon, and church elders and government officials walked behind it to the melancholy notes of a military band.
The Holy Synod of senior clergy will select an interim patriarch from among its members until a larger church council elects Neophyte’s successor within the next four months, church officials said. That’s what it means.
