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The enthronement ceremony of the newly elected Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel took place at the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin was elected as the new Patriarch of Bulgaria, with Metropolitan Grigory of Vratsa coming in second with 66 votes.
During the ceremony, Patriarch Daniel received the crozier and engolpia that belonged to the first Bulgarian patriarch after the restoration of the Bulgarian Patriarchate by Patriarch Cyril. These sacred items, crafted by an Armenian goldsmith from Plovdiv, depict Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, and the Holy Cross.
The enthronement was attended by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Elder Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi, Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, and representatives from various local Orthodox Churches.
Representatives from the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Romania, Georgia, Cyprus, and Greece, as well as President Rumen Radev, Vice President Iliana Yotova, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Speaker of the National Assembly Raya Nazaryan, and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony.
Watch the videos of the ceremony below:
How the second round unfolded
Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin was elected the new Patriarch of Bulgaria.
Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin won the second round with 69 votes.
Metropolitan Grigory of Vratsa came in second with 66 votes, while 3 ballots were invalid.
Before his election, Metropolitans Grigory of Vratsa, Daniel of Vidin, and Gavriil of Lovchan formed the triprosopon, from which the new Patriarch was chosen.
Criteria for election included being a serving diocesan Metropolitan of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, at least 50 years old, having governed a diocese for at least five years, and demonstrating sound Orthodox faith and adherence to church order.
138 delegates attended the Patriarchal Council, with the Patriarchal Election Church Council beginning with a liturgy and official opening at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Who is Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin
Atanas Trendafilov Nikolov, born in Smolyan in 1972, became a monk in 1999 and was ordained Bishop in 2008. He has served in various roles within the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
He assumed the role of Metropolitan of Vidin on February 4, 2018.
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