The Russian Orthodox Church’s Russian Orthodox Central Committee believes that the statement by the Bulgarian authorities that the presence of Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), the rector of the Russian Orthodox Church’s podvorye in Sofia, Archpriest Evgeny Pavelchuk, the secretary of the podvorye, and the podvorye’s employee “poses a threat to state security” is a false pretext.

“The Russian Orthodox Church declares a strong protest against the unjustified expulsion of its representatives from Bulgaria,” the ROCOR said .

The ROC noted that “the expulsion of clergymen, whose vocation is to serve God and people, preaching peace and brotherhood between peoples, is an outrageous act, dictated by Russophobic motives and the desire to cross out the glorious pages of the common history of Bulgaria and Russia.”

Also the authors of the statement consider this decision of the Bulgarian authorities as a sign of “disrespect for the feelings of believers, who are now deprived of the opportunity to visit the tomb of the former rector of St. Seraphim (Sobolev) in connection with the suppression of the activities of the podvorye”.

According to representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, “the rude measure of police brutality undertaken by the Bulgarian authorities is aimed at undermining the traditionally friendly relations between the two sister Churches, and is intended to turn against each other the fraternal peoples bound by a common history and a common faith”.