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WCC
Eighth Assembly
Press
Release No. 47
For
Immediate Use
13
December 1998
BULGARIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
The
Bulgarian Orthodox Church has informed the World Council of Churches (WCC)
that it has decided to discontinue its membership of the WCC.
The news was given in a letter dated 27 November 1988 from His
Holiness Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria addressed to WCC General Secretary,
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser.
Below is an English translation, supplied by the Bulgarian Orthodox
Church, of the original Bulgarian text:
"Dear
Mr General Secretary,
The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at their session
on the 9th of April 1998, Protocol No.9, having taken into consideration
that the hopes from its membership in the World Council of Churches have
not been fully justified, as well as the confusion of the Orthodox Christians
in this country with that membership (of our Church in the WCC), with
a view to safeguard the fullness of our holy Church, have decided to discontinue
its membership in it.
The Holy Synod express their thanks to the WCC for the mutual contacts
and the respective mutual aid so far.
We notify you that from now on the Bulgarian Orthodox Church cannot
be represented at the WCC by any organization, foundation or private persons
from Bulgaria or from outside its confines.
Respectfully
yours
Signed
President
of the Holy Synod
(s)
+ MAXIM
Patriarch
of Bulgaria"
World Council of Churches
Press and Information Office, Harare
Tel:
+263.91.23.23.81
E-Mail:
jwn8@staff.wcc-coe.org
http://www.wcc-coe.org
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