With the blessing of Patriarch John X of Antioch and a decision by the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church-Bulgarian Patriarchate (BOC-BP), Metropolitans Nikolai of Plovdiv and Antonii of Western and Central Europe celebrated a Holy Divine Liturgy in Dubai, UAE. This first-ever service in the native Bulgarian language was a landmark event for the Bulgarian diaspora in Dubai and throughout the UAE. The service took place at the Antiochian Patriarchate’s Church of the Annunciation in Jebel Ali, Dubai.
Approximately 3,000 Bulgarians reside in Dubai, and a year and a half ago, they expressed their desire to establish a Bulgarian church community through the Bulgarian Embassy in the UAE. The liturgical chants were performed by two psalters from the metropolitan choir, and dozens of Orthodox Bulgarians attended the service to thank our Lord Jesus Christ for His work for the salvation of mankind and to rejoice spiritually in the creation of the church community.
Notable attendees included Ivan Yordanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the UAE, and Stanislav Dimitrov, Consul General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
In his homily, Metropolitan Nikolai of Plovdiv expressed gratitude on behalf of the Holy Synod of the BOC-BP to Ambassador Ivan Yordanov for his significant contribution to the formation of the Bulgarian church community. He also presented the new church community with an icon of St. John of Rila and a Bible on behalf of the Holy Synod. Additionally, Metropolitan Nikolai thanked the Antiochian Patriarchate for its warm hospitality.
