Sofia, October 10, 2014
The special ceremony was organised at the Council of
Ministers and was also attended by President Rosen
Plevneliev, ministers and officials.
“It is a great honour to open this ceremony at which
on behalf of the Bulgarian government I will present the
title deed of ownership over the Saint Alexander Nevsky
Cathedral to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
The saga around the ownership of the church has been underway for nearly 100 years,” the Bulgarian Prime Minister remarked.
“Issue over the ownership of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was eventually solved thanks to the consistent efforts of the interim Government and the Bulgarian Church,” Prime Minister Bliznashki said.
“With this act the state and the Church stretched a
hand to each other and showed that a well-intended
dialogue and joint efforts may find solution to all
problems.
We hope that the example we manifested today will be
followed by others, too,” the Bulgarian Prime
Minister remarked.
“After this memorable day, I believe that with our
joint efforts the temple will shine again,”
Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria said speaking at the
ceremony.
“We have gone through a long way until we reached
this historical moment – the handing of the
ownership deed over the cathedral to the Bulgarian
Orthodox Church,” the Patriarch said further, adding
that the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was a symbol of
the national historical memory and orthodox Christian
self-awareness of the Bulgarian nation.
“With the help of the state, the authentic glamour
of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral will be
returned,” Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said
on his turn.
The Bulgarian head of state remarked that this had been a
long-awaited and historical event.
“We put an end to the uncertainty around the
ownership and fate of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral,
which has been underway for decades.
Unfortunately, all these years left visible negative marks
on one of the symbols of our capital and of Bulgaria.
I am happy and proud that this historical and good deed happens during the mandate of the cabinet, which I personally appointed. There is no better moment for such a positive outcome than the year in which the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral marks the 90th anniversary since its sanctification,” President Plevneliev said.
