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Posted by N on June 5, 2002, 5:56:02 Bulgarian PM Meets Russian Patriarch Alexy II. Moscow, June 4 (BTA spec. corr. Ekaterina Kazassova) - "I am happy to welcome you to the oldest church in Moscow," Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and Russia said as he walked out to met Bulgarian Patriarch Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in his official residence at the Danilov Monastery. The Bulgarian Prime Minister is on an official visit to Russia until June 6. As the two met, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha kissed the Patriarch's hand and then the two exchanged three kisses as the Russian custom requires. At the beginning of the meeting, Patriarch Alexy II spoke about the hardships the Orthodox Churches of the two countries have been through. "But now there is spiritual revival and an ever increasing number of people understand they cannot live without God," said he. He cited a poll showing that 82% of Russians celebrated Easter this year. Russia and Bulgaria have a history of cooperation, said also the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. "In hard times, they have been together fighting for the Bulgarian liberty. There have been bad years but the link between the two nations and churches has remained." Alexy II further voiced concern over the ongoing rift in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at a time when the conditions are ripe for a growth. He went on to express hope that now when Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is prime minister, he will help settle by legal instruments the statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the return of its property. "The fact that the head of a royal family returns to politics and is elected prime minister shows there has been a major change in people's way of thinking," said Alexy II offering his respect to the Bulgarian government leader as a statesman who has been forced into exile but never forgot his home country. The Russian Patriarch also expressed hope that as the process of Bulgaria integration into the EU goes forward, Bulgaria will keep up its good relations with its neighbours to the East. He described the Russian visit of the Bulgarian government leader as an important stage in the development of bilateral relations. He also called "historic" the visit of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius Laura, which, as he put it, is Russia's spiritual centre. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha voiced appreciation for Patriarch Alexy's concern for the problems is the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. He said that the rift started back in 1965 in the US, has been politicized and used for political gains, and he has been trying to help heal it throughout his life. The Prime Minister was apparently referring to a breakup when 16 parishes of the Bulgarian Orthodox diocese in the US and two parishes in Canada seceded from the Eparchy of America and Australia of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and in 1976 joined the Orthodox Church in America. Asked whether he will follow the call of Patriarch Alexy to try end the rift in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said he "will do as His Holiness advised". After the 45-minute meeting the Bulgarian government leader and the head of the Russian church had a one-to-one session that lasted 20 minutes. The two did not talk about the recent Bulgarian visit of Pope John Paul II. "We ran out of time," Patriarch Alexy told a reporter who asked him about that. He added that the visit is something the Bulgarian church should talk about and not the Russian. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha asked about the religious life in Russia, the relations between the church and the government, about theological education and church charities. Patriarch Alexy said further that the churches of the two countries have good relations and that the unity of Orthodox churches is what matters at this moment. He hopes that the admission of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and other countries with Orthodox Christians into the EU will promote the standing of Orthodoxy in Europe. Asked of any plans he may have to visit Bulgaria, Alexy II said he would accept an invitation to visit Bulgaria for the 125th anniversary of the Russo-Turkish War and on the occasion.
PM-RUSSIA-PATRIARCH.
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