Bulgarian PM Vows Not to Meddle in Election of Patriarch

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has declared that his government will not meddle in the election of a new Orthodox Patriarch.

"The communists meddled in the church affairs for years," Borisov told reporters on Wednesday, referring to the country's totalitarian past.

He pointed out that, as a result, the majority of the senior Orthodox clerics are former secret agents of the communist State Security.

"Our government does not do this," he stated.

"We are building churches, we are building monasteries, we are spending millions to repair them."

Bulgaria's Patriarch Maxim, who had led the Church since 1971, passed away last week at the age of 98.

Varna Bishop Kiril will lead the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for four months and will be instrumental preparing the convention of a National Church Council to elect a new Patriarch.