OSLO, Norway — Bulgarian police have forcibly expelled members of an alternative Orthodox synod from some 250 parish churches they have been using for more than 10 years, Forum 18 News Service reported July 23. Concern over the raids has extended beyond the Orthodox community, with Baptist Pastor Theodor Angelov, general secretary of the European Baptist Federation, voicing support for the ousted Orthodox parishes.
The police raids follow a long-standing split in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and a controversial religion law favoring one side in the split, according to Forum 18. Angelov condemned what he described as communist-style methods not seen in Bulgaria since the end of the communist period. Citing a failure to use proper judicial process, Angelov said, “The police arrived at churches across the country at 6 in the morning, sealing them, dragging out priests by force if they are inside and in some cases beating them — there’s nothing legal in that.”
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