Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

President Radev: Patriarch Kirill came as spiritual leader, but left as politician

Photo: BGNES

On the occasion of reproaches against Bulgaria and its President that came from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow during his visit to Bulgaria on March 3, President Rumen Radev commented that "Patriarch Kirill came to Bulgaria as a spiritual leader but chose to leave as a politician."

According to the Bulgarian Head of State, however, the important question was who tried to turn the common celebration of the Liberation of Bulgaria into an issue of division and to exploit the crisis in Bulgarian-Russian relations.

Our gratitude to Russia is the gratitude of free people and it does not come at the expense of our dignity, the president said, adding that he would not become a hostage to emotions, but would work for the revival of Bulgarian-Russian relations that others have been trying to ruin for years.

When I think about the visit of the Russian Patriarch I prefer to keep the memory of the thousands of Bulgarians who came on Shipka peak to celebrate the Liberation of Bulgaria and about the joint service he held with Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte, the president added.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

EU ambassadors reach agreement on Bulgaria’s entry into Schengen by land

The ambassadors of the EU Member States have reached a preliminary agreement on the draft decision to abolish checks at internal land borders for Bulgaria and Romania. This is planned to happen on January 1, 2025. The decision is expected to be finally..

published on 11/27/24 5:45 PM

Shopping malls vow to step up security after series of aggressive acts

Shopping malls in Sofia and across the country will increase the number of security guards where needed. Additional panic buttons are also to be put in place if retailers wish, the Bulgarian Retail Association said. Groups of suspicious persons will be..

published on 11/27/24 4:44 PM

Bulgaria is 3% away from entering the US Visa Waiver Program

The U.S. Department of State today released the data for the refused type B visas for the financial year 2024. For Bulgaria, this percentage is 6.02%, which marks a significant decrease compared to last year, when it was 11.61%. This is the lowest..

published on 11/27/24 4:09 PM