How many Times were Diplomatic Relations between Russia and Bulgaria Severed
If we look at history, there are not many cases in which relations between Bulgaria and Russia at the state level were as bad as they are at the moment.
Mary Jane or Merry Churchin'
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By Despina Koleva
Amid issues of major importance Wednesday also brought us the seemingly insignificant news of a Bulgarian priest being arrested on the possession of marijuana.
The cleric resides in a village in the country's far southwest, media info says. The region is by far known to be a leader in, so to say, Bulgaria's weed producing industry. Therefore, reports on 70-year-old grandmas from around this region growing marijuana amidst beds of cucumbers and tomatoes have from time to time sprung up. Yet their breaking the law (for marijuana is considered an illegal drug substance even in this neck of the woods) has appeared somehow not that reprehensible. For who would have the heart to rebuke a little old lady for engaging in some small moneymaking business instead of relying solely on her minuscule state allowance, merely sufficing for a daily bread and yogurt portion.
However, the issue with a priest caught possessing more than five kilograms of weed somewhat differs. And it does so mainly because Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Christianity as a whole, rules out the use, and I believe even more so, the sell of narcotic substances by its followers. Logic suggests that the ban applies with even more binding rigor to their spiritual guides, the clergy.
But, to come more to the point, what would be the reasons for a 63-year-old priest to possess more than five kilos of marijuana, given that the guy has also been caught with drugs in the past. Naturally, the first thing that probably comes to mind is that the priest is a drug addict.
If this be the case, he is a very prudent addict, indeed. For such a quantity of weed supplies would certainly ensure him a good deal of time walking on sunshine.
Another, and I believe more plausible, argument is that the cleric meant to use the dope to make a living. Following the latter line of thought one suffers the danger of being caught into a vicious circle. On one hand, a course of logic similar to the one from the grandmas' case may be applied to this accident. In other words, given that most people know that the clerics employed in the ranks of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (excluding those higher in the hierarchy) are not well-off at all, one might be willing to forgo the priest's wrong deed.
However, here comes another ruse. Are God's employees (no, not the white-winged heavenly creatures but the humans whose institution of employment is the Church) not supposed to be attracted to earthly goods such as financial welfare? Certainly.
And before I get much too deep into the argument, I would like to point that I myself do not wish under any circumstances to play the part of a moralist. I am not a great religious believer, either. Nonetheless, it makes me sad reading stories about priests nabbed with drugs. And it makes me think that besides the much discussed political and economic crises, Bulgaria suffers from another paroxysm - more subtle yet more subversive- a crisis in spirit.
Amid issues of major importance Wednesday also brought us the seemingly insignificant news of a Bulgarian priest being arrested on the possession of marijuana.
The cleric resides in a village in the country's far southwest, media info says. The region is by far known to be a leader in, so to say, Bulgaria's weed producing industry. Therefore, reports on 70-year-old grandmas from around this region growing marijuana amidst beds of cucumbers and tomatoes have from time to time sprung up. Yet their breaking the law (for marijuana is considered an illegal drug substance even in this neck of the woods) has appeared somehow not that reprehensible. For who would have the heart to rebuke a little old lady for engaging in some small moneymaking business instead of relying solely on her minuscule state allowance, merely sufficing for a daily bread and yogurt portion.
However, the issue with a priest caught possessing more than five kilograms of weed somewhat differs. And it does so mainly because Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Christianity as a whole, rules out the use, and I believe even more so, the sell of narcotic substances by its followers. Logic suggests that the ban applies with even more binding rigor to their spiritual guides, the clergy.
But, to come more to the point, what would be the reasons for a 63-year-old priest to possess more than five kilos of marijuana, given that the guy has also been caught with drugs in the past. Naturally, the first thing that probably comes to mind is that the priest is a drug addict.
If this be the case, he is a very prudent addict, indeed. For such a quantity of weed supplies would certainly ensure him a good deal of time walking on sunshine.
Another, and I believe more plausible, argument is that the cleric meant to use the dope to make a living. Following the latter line of thought one suffers the danger of being caught into a vicious circle. On one hand, a course of logic similar to the one from the grandmas' case may be applied to this accident. In other words, given that most people know that the clerics employed in the ranks of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (excluding those higher in the hierarchy) are not well-off at all, one might be willing to forgo the priest's wrong deed.
However, here comes another ruse. Are God's employees (no, not the white-winged heavenly creatures but the humans whose institution of employment is the Church) not supposed to be attracted to earthly goods such as financial welfare? Certainly.
And before I get much too deep into the argument, I would like to point that I myself do not wish under any circumstances to play the part of a moralist. I am not a great religious believer, either. Nonetheless, it makes me sad reading stories about priests nabbed with drugs. And it makes me think that besides the much discussed political and economic crises, Bulgaria suffers from another paroxysm - more subtle yet more subversive- a crisis in spirit.
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