His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte has passed away

published on 3/14/24 9:20 AM

Photo: BGNES

After a long illness, His Holiness the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan of Sofia Neophyte has left us at the age of 78. Shortly before midnight, on March 13, in an official statement, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church announced that the archbishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church died as a result of multiple-organ failure in the Military Medical Academy in Sofia at 10:22 p.m.

"We call on all Orthodox Christians to address their sincere prayer together with the holy Orthodox Church to the all-merciful God to put to rest the soul of our dear Patriarch in the kingdom of God - in the celestial spheres of the righteous and place him among the chosen ones on the right, where with the heavenly hosts he will praise God in eternity with a pleasant voice," the bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church urge in an address.

Patriarch Neophyte's health condition worsened late last year and he remained under treatment at the Military Medical Academy since then. Shortly before he left, laymen once again offered their prayers for the patriarch's healing until the moment when the sad news shook the Orthodox Bulgarian people.

Patriarch Neophyte was born in the city of Sofia on 15 October 1945 with the secular name Simeon Nikolov Dimitrov. After graduating from the Sofia Theological Seminary, he attended the Theological Academy in Sofia. He did a theological specialization in the department of Church Singing at the Moscow Theological Academy and after his return in 1973 he started teaching and became the conductor of the student choir at the Theological Academy.

In 1975, he was ordained a monk with the name Neophyte by the Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim in the Troyan Holy Monastery. At the end of 1989, he became rector of the Theological Academy, and two years later he was the first dean of the restored Theological Faculty at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". Later, he was the chief secretary of the Holy Synod and chairman of the board of trustees of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

In 1994, he was canonically confirmed as Metropolitan of the Dorostol-Cherven Diocese, and when it was divided into two - the Ruse Diocese and Dorostol diocese in 2001, he headed the Ruse Diocese.

In 2008, he became the holder of the title "doctor honoris causa" of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" for overall contribution to the development of spirituality at Sofia University and for his active participation in the restoration of the Faculty of Theology. Two years later, he was awarded by the President of Bulgaria with the Order of "St. Cyril and Methodius" - necklace "for his particularly significant merits for the development of the Theological Academy "St. Kliment Ohridski", for his contribution to the development of scientific and educational ties and relationships between Eastern and Western Christians and on the occasion of his 65th anniversary".

On February 24, 2013, Neophyte was elected Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia, and on the same day he was enthroned in the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

During his lifetime, His Holiness Neophyte was known as a tolerant and calm leader, and also as a zealous defender of Christian values and an advocate for the introduction of the subject "Religion" in Bulgarian schools.

May the memory of the Most Holy Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia live forever, blessed and bright!