Former Bulgarian tsar and prime minister from 2001 to 2005, Simeon II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, hosted the Russian Metropolitan Antony and the Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova in his home on Tuesday evening.
The photos were published in the Moscow Patriarchate along with a short message: “Metropolitan Antony of Volokolamsk warmly welcomed Simeon II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, noting his remarkable contribution to preserving the unity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and strengthening its position in Bulgarian society, as well as the personal contribution of the Head of the Royal House of Bulgaria in strengthening the relations between the Russian and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches.”
The Russian Embassy in Bulgaria and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha’s personal website did not announce the visit.
Earlier that day, dozens of Bulgarians and Ukrainians protested in front of the entrance of the Russian church in Sofia because of Antony’s visit. Protesters blocked the entrance to the temple while the Russian priest, Mitrofanova and former deputy prime minister Rumen Petkov were inside.
In one of the photos from the meeting, the former tsar poses with Russian clergymen and Mitrofanova next to the portrait of his father, the late Tsar Boris III. The royal dynasty in Bulgaria was liquidated 78 years ago after Bulgaria’s occupation by the USSR’s troops. Part of the royal family was massacred, and another managed to escape abroad.
The Moscow Patriarchate announced that Antony is in Bulgaria on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the branch of the Russian Orthodox Church in Bulgaria.
A month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha gave an interview to the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, in which he paraphrased the words of his father, Tsar Boris III: “Always with Germany, never against Russia.”
“There are two things we cannot change: history and our location on the map,” said Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and called on the Bulgarians: “Always with Europe, never against Russia.”
In the same interview, he explained that it is normal for Russia’s governance to be “a little more authoritarian” because it is a very large country.
Bulgaria became a member of NATO while Simeon was prime minister in 2004, and three years later became a member of the EU.
(Krassen Nikolov | EURACTIV.bg)
Source: euractiv.com
