Bulgaria Patriarch close to Russia now at the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

A new head of the Orthodox Church has been elected in Bulgaria. Daniil, who is considered to be close to Russia, received a narrow majority of votes at a church assembly in Sophia on Sunday. In the second and final round of voting, 69 out of a total of 138 members voted for Daniil. Metropolitan Grigorii, who is considered neutral in relation to the war in Ukraine, received 66 votes. There were three invalid ballots.

The election had become necessary following the death of Patriarch Neofit in March. After eleven years at the head of the Orthodox Church, he died after a long illness at the age of 78.

Daniil shows closeness to the Kremlin

Daniil is considered pro-Russian. As Metropolitan in 2022, he described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as aggression in a circular, for example, but tried to explain it away with the events in Ukraine in 2014. Daniil also condemned the expulsion of the head cleric of the Russian Orthodox church in the capital Sofia from Bulgaria on suspicion of espionage.

In response to Daniil's election, a prominent monastery head, Archimandrite Nikanor, announced his resignation from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Representatives of the pro-Russian and nationalist party Vasrashdane (Rebirth), on the other hand, welcomed the outcome of the election.

The majority of Bulgaria's population is Christian Orthodox. Catholics make up only around one percent of the population. In addition, around ten percent are ethnic Turks, which dates back to the time of the Ottoman Empire, which also included territories in the Balkans.