According to the news of Novinite, the protesters gathered in St. Petersburg during the visit of Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. Nicholas Church. Metropolitan Anthony, Head of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, led the services in the church.
The Sega broadcast reported that protesters shouted “Murderers” and “This is not Moscow”. Nova TV channel announced that refugees from Ukraine were also present in the action. According to the UN, around 150,000 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Bulgaria at the end of November after the outbreak of conflict.
In addition to the ambassador and the mayor of the metropolitan, the leader of the Alternative Bulgarian Revival party, Rumen Petkov, also attended the ceremony.
“Slightly overrated”
The embassy in Sofia told RIA Novosti that the situation is less serious than reported by the media.
“There was actually a small demonstration, because, according to the protesters, the rite was dedicated to the victory of the Russian army in Ukraine, which is not true, because the purpose of the arrival of Metropolitan Anthony is to participate in the celebrations. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia’s Metokion in Sofia.”
They also stated that there was no mention of threats against Mitrofanova.
“There, posters and flags were hung right in front of the church, but not anymore, not as scary as it was painted,” the diplomatic mission said.
Later, Mitrofanova herself said that the police were nearby and were maintaining order, so there was no danger to her. According to her, the protesters tried to disrupt the ritual and prevented the embassy car from moving, but she left in another car.
“We heard some voices”
Metropolitan Anthony said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the incident occurred during the mass. According to him, “towards the end of the service, we heard some noises coming from the street, but that didn’t interfere with the service.” After the mass, the metropolitan took to the streets with other priests, but no one saw the protesters.
“During a cup of coffee after the Mass, we talked with the bishops of the Bulgarian Church and the holiday clergy, and then we all walked in robes through the central streets of Sofia to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. . When many passers-by saw us, they approached for blessing. We did not see any protesters. “Maybe they were doing their ‘duties’ exactly on an hourly schedule and didn’t want to have to work overtime to wait for us,” he said.
did not support the union
In September, Anthony made a comment on the adoption of the World Union of Churches document “War in Ukraine, Peace and Justice in the European Region”, which the Russian Orthodox Church delegation did not support.
“Unfortunately, the final document remained largely politicized. It did not include all the recommendations of the Russian Church that prevented us from declaring our support. At the same time, we believe that the discussion held during the Assembly can serve as a starting point for an objective and impartial study for the World Council of Churches on the causes of the protracted conflict in Ukraine. peace efforts,” he said.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.