Concerning the accusations towards the Romanian Patriarchate about the alleged interdiction of services in Bulgarian at the St. Elijah Parish in Bucharest, we are reminding the following facts:

In the June 7, 1954 session, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at the proposal of the worthy PAtriarch Justinian, decided that the St. Elijah - Coltea Church, located at 18 Doamnei Street, together with all its inventory and the ground floor apartment, was to be given to the Bulgarian community in Bucharest, until they could build their own church. This free offering of the worship place in Bucharest for the use of the Bulgarian community was an act of brotherhood towards the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. We are also mentioning that, in Sofia, the Romanian Orthodox community has built its own worship place, which holds services in Romanian since the early 20th century (1907).

After 55 years of gratuitous use of the worship place by the Bulgarian community, noticing the advanced degradation of the church and taking into consideration the conditions required by the current laws for the recuperation of the properties of the parish which were confiscated by the Communist regime, the Standing Meeting of the Eparchial Assembly of the Bucharest Archdiocese, in its March 31, 2009 meeting, has decided the expedite reactivation of the St. Elijah - Coltea parish, and the naming of Rev. Gabriel Georgescu as parish priest. Among the priorities of the mission of the new parish priest are the consolidation and restoration of the church, as well as the recuperation of the properties of the parish confiscated during the Communist regime.

The Standing Meeting of the Eparchial Assembly of the Bucharest Archdiocese has also decided that the representative of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Bucharest, Rev. Petar Totev, will continue to serve together with Rev. Gabriel Grigorescu, following the model set by the church of the Russian community in Sophia, where the priest of the Russian Orthodox community serves together with two Bulgarian priests. This brotherly ministry does not hinder the pastoral-missionary activity of the two communities, Russian and Bulgarian.

Thus, Rev. Petar Totev was never denied the right to minister in the church of the St. Elijah - Coltea Church, as it was erroneously alleged by some in Bulgaria and Romania. It was only requested that Rev. Petar Totev extends his collaboration and serve together with the Romanian priest, for the fulfillment of the objectives set by the Standing Meeting of the Eparchial Assembly of the Bucharest Archdiocese. Father Totev can thus continue his pastoral-missionary, liturgical and administrative activity for the Bulgarian Orthodox faithful in Bucharest unhindered, next to the Romanian priest.

In its working session on June 18-19, 2009, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has approved the decision of the Standing Meeting of the Eparchial Assembly of the Bucharest Archdiocese, and it was decided that, in early July this year, a meeting in Bucharest should take place between the representatives of the Romanian Patriarchate and the Bulgarian Patriarchate to settle the issues which were created in this parish.

THE PRESS OFFICE OF THE ROMANIAN PATRIARCHATE