In Bulgaria the meeting of the Chairman of the Duma Committee on civil society development issues, public and religious associations, President of the inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy Sergey Gavrilov with the leadership of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.
The participants of the meeting discussed possible ways of overcoming initiated from the outside of schisms in the Orthodox Church, questions of unity, equality and fraternity of the canonical churches. In 1998 the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was able to overcome internal Church schism, whose perpetrators are brought to repentance.
“Help the God of the entire Bulgarian Church, which we love, which maintain the inner spiritual connection. And spokesmen are our Churches. Things are changing in the world, changing the political structure, the policy itself, and those communications by which the Church bonded people, overcome the time change. Today we must be together to keep the unity. Russia and Bulgaria as a whole are actively engaged in contacts between parliaments, churches and various departments. Successfully developing cooperation at the regional level, any progress in trade and economic relations”, – said Sergey Gavrilov.
The Deputy of the state Duma Sergey Gavrilov recalled the words of the great patriot of Bulgaria Tarnovo Metropolitan Kliment in the most difficult times for the formation of the Bulgarian state: “Will we have Orthodoxy – will and Bulgaria; the net of Orthodoxy – there is no Bulgaria”.
“This statement, of course, can be attributed to us, to the Russian people,” – said Sergey Gavrilov.
The meeting also discussed issues of cooperation between Russia and Bulgaria on the basis of the inter-parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy.
“In terms of attacks on our canonical unity of the Orthodox peoples and churches we are ready to strengthen our public and inter-parliamentary relations, which would be a serious support in the preservation of inter-Orthodox peace. We will develop contacts on public level as well as to implement a social mission through its support of volunteerism, the protection of Christians against extremism and terrorism, helping the poor, strengthening the family and promoting large families,” – said Sergey Gavrilov.