2024-03-16 16:17:06
The meeting between President Rumen Radev and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been postponed due to the delay in the program of the mourning ceremony in memory of Patriarch Neofit, the head of state’s press office announced.
Radev was supposed to meet with Patriarch Bartholomew around 1:00 p.m. at “Dondukov” 2, but the funeral of His Holiness ended at 2:30 p.m. Radev was present until the very end.
The patriarch’s funeral in “St. Alexander Nevsky” was led by His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He also delivered a memorable speech for Neophyte.
With honors and a ritual befitting a funeral for a head of state, Bulgaria today sent His Holiness the Patriarch and Metropolitan Neophyte of Sofia to his last earthly journey.
He was buried in the Metropolitan Cathedral “St. Nedelya”, as was his wish. The Patriarch will rest next to Exarch Joseph.
Neophyte’s body was carried on a carriage from the Patriarchal Cathedral “St. Alexander Nevsky”. It was made especially for the funeral of Tsar Boris the Third in 1943. This was the last ceremony in Bulgaria where a similar lithium procession was made.
Today’s procession passed through Oborishte St., G. S. Rakovski St., Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., Kn. Maria Luiza Blvd. At its head were the members of the Holy Synod.