BOC bishop: We did not invite Dumenko to the funeral of Patriarch Neophyte
Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech said that Dumenko did not intend to participate in the service at the burial of Patriarch Neophyte, so as “not to get in trouble”.
Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church revealed that Epifaniy Dumenko, the head of the OCU, was not invited by the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the funeral of Patriarch Neophyte.
He recounted, "When the funeral of Patriarch Neophyte took place and the head of the non-canonical Ukrainian church, Serhiy Dumenko, arrived, our Synod did not invite him."
"Some of our hierarchs decided that if he wanted to participate in the service, we would not concelebrate with him," Metropolitan Gabriel said.
He stressed that some Bulgarian hierarchs had a firm intention not to serve with Dumenko, but thankfully, he did not even try to so as "not to get in trouble".
Metropolitan Gabriel also stated that he cannot say who exactly invited Dumenko: "He was not invited by the Synod, we invited the Ecumenical Patriarch, we invited other Churches, but we did not invite him."
Earlier the UOJ wrote that according to Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech, the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church did not authorize to concelebrate with the OCU.
