The sixth Church Convention will have a new session on October 6 at the Rila Monastery. This is the decision made by the delegates of the highest church forum in Bulgaria.

This was announced by Archpriest Angel Angelov at the end of today's session which concluded the Convention.

The decision came after delegates expressed opinions that the four days of the current session would not be enough to exhaust the Convention's agenda.

The Convention began on May 14. The agenda included the adoption of a new statute of the Convention, proposed by the Holy Synod.

The discussion regarding a proposal that the eparchies, the church trusts and the monasteries register as legal entities and take control over their properties will also continue in October.

Ideas have been voiced for a Patriarch to be able to be elected after he turns 40 or 45 years. Until now the Convention statute provides that this can happen only after the candidate has turned 50.

Thursday, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church rejected the proposal that Christmas is celebrated according to the old calendar, used in Russia.

Christmas will continue to be celebrated on December 25, instead of January 7 as the old style calendar postulates.

"There is no need to change the calendar, more so because Bulgaria is on the road to Western Europe where holidays are established and are celebrated on the same day", commented Patriarch Tihon. According to him the debate is not if Jesus was born on December 25, but when exactly is December 25.

The delegates also made the decision that from now on the Convention will be called "Church Convention", which takes out the word "People's" used until now.

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