Supreme Court of Cassation rules that the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Calendar Church must be registered

The Supreme Court of Cassation has given final judgement that the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Calendar Church must be registered in the register of religious denominations. This isthe first time a second Orthodox church will be registered, the website of the denomination writes. According to the Supreme Court of Cassation, “there are no circumstances on the basis of which it can be inferred that the registration of the old calendar church would affect the rights of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church-Bulgarian Patriarchate and its members”. Having existed for centuries, the institution has been part of the consolidation of the Bulgarian national spirit and statehood. It unites Orthodox Christians and is held in the highest regard in society. The registration concerns a small religious community which has existed for 30 years and which lays no claim to the internal organization or the property of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, the court decision goes.