Bulgaria's new Orthodox patriarch was enthroned in a mass in Sofia today (February 24, 2013) that leaves the soft-spoken theologian the task of restoring the reputation of a church hurt by links to businessmen and communist secret police, according to the Yahoo News website.
Neofit, 67, Bishop of Rousse, took over the 1,100-year-old Orthodox Church, which survived centuries of Islamic Turkish domination and decades of communism, as Bulgaria now heads for early elections by May, after the government resigned last Wednesday (February 20) during protests over the cost of living and corruption.
About 80 percent of Bulgarians are Orthodox Christians -- the primary religion also in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Greece, Romania, and Serbia -- but only a small percentage view churchgoing as important to their lives, recent surveys show.
Trust in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was shaken after a history commission showed in January 2012 that 11 of its 15 bishops collaborated with the former communist-era secret police.
The election by a church council of Neofit -- known for theological learning, humble demeanor, and exquisite singing -- was welcomed by believers and analysts who see him as a worthy successor to Patriarch Maxim, who died last November at the age of 98.
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