The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has a new leader! The 52-year-old Metropolitan of Vidin, Daniil, was elected as the new Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia, following the passing of the late Neofit. This historic event took place on June 30, with Daniil becoming the fourth Patriarch of the autocephalous Church.
After a closely contested second-round ballot, Daniil emerged victorious with 69 votes against the Metropolitan of Vratsa Grigory, who had 66 delegates backing him. At just 52 years old, Daniil was the youngest candidate among the three initially presented to the Delegates on June 20. Metropolitan Gavriil of Lovech was eliminated in the first round after receiving only 19 votes out of 138, leading to a run-off between Daniil and Grigory to secure the necessary two-thirds majority for election.
Enthronement ceremony
Following his official election, a grand procession led the new Patriarch from the Holy Synod headquarters to Sofia’s Cathedral for his enthronement in a dignified ceremony. The event was attended by various Orthodox Church representatives, with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I present for the first time. Also in attendance were dignitaries from other Christian denominations, including Cardinal Kurt Koch and the Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.
During the ceremony, Patriarch Daniil received the symbols of his new position, culminating in his ascension to the throne amidst resounding acclamation from the assembly. It was a momentous occasion filled with solemnity and tradition.
Who is Patriarch Daniil
Born Atanas Triandafilov Nikolov on March 2, 1972, in Smolyan, Patriarch Daniil’s journey to leadership began with a degree in English Philology before transitioning to Theology at Sofia University. He embraced monastic life in 1999 and completed his theology studies in 2002.
His path to becoming a bishop started at Rozhen Monastery in 2004, eventually leading to appointments in various roles within the Orthodox Church, both within Bulgaria and internationally. Daniil’s election as Metropolitan of Vidin in 2018 was a stepping stone to his current position as Patriarch and head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
