Metropolitan of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of Vidin Daniil spoke on the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and military operations in Ukraine.

He stated that in Ukraine, along with the suffering from the war, there is another aggression, another suffering associated with the performance of “fanatical people” and the authorities against their compatriots.

“Even such laws are being prepared, according to which it will be impossible for Ukrainians to profess the Orthodox faith. Why? Because there is a “church” structure, created several years ago with the significant role of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which, not without reason, is not recognized by the majority of Orthodox Churches. And which has many problems with the hierarchy, consisting of non-ordained persons, declared priests and bishops. The Ukrainians themselves see this and endure persecution for several years,” the metropolitan said.

The hierarch also made a comparison with the situation in Macedonia: “Now when the name Bulgarian is mentioned in North Macedonia, many people hate it, because fear has entered them. And children are born in new conditions, and in schools they learn a completely different story – how the Bulgarians almost conquered them. The child grows with all this. In Macedonia, as soon as they hear about historical facts, events that denounce this narrative, as soon as they hear that we are one people with them, their consciousness boils, their ears close, they cannot perceive the truth, they cannot calmly talk about this topic. The same thing is happening in Ukraine – with the ban on the language, with threats, murders, with the proclamation of people who have committed crimes against humanity as national heroes.”