Message of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the funerals of His Eminence Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Veliko-Preslav (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Thursday, 11 July 2013:
The unexpected death of His Eminence Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Veliko-Preslav is a great loss both for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and for the entire Orthodoxy. His Eminence Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Veliko-Preslav was all his lifetime a tireless and diligent servant of Christ, our Lord, especially after he joined the monastic life in 1972, while still a young man. His monastic life was happily complemented by his theological studies in Athens; then, from 1981 - 1986 he was the representative of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at the Moscow Patriarchate.
He began his hierarchic service in 1988, as Bishop of Stobi, and next year (1989) he was elected Metropolitan of Varna and Veliko-Preslav.
After the passing away of the worthy remembering Patriarch Maxim, on 10 November 2012, Metropolitan Kiril was elected Patriarch locum tenens, wisely preparing the election of the new leader of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Thus, during his 51 years of life, Metropolitan Kiril served Christ and His church for 41 years, first as a monk, and then as a Bishop and Metropolitan. During these services he was very close to
the needy people, taking care of the fund raising needed for their social assistance. Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Veliko-Preslav remains in our memory as a missionary hierarch, through his faithfulness to the living faith, liturgical and canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church, and as
a close friend of the Romanian Orthodox Church, through the love he has always shown to the Romanian hierarchs in the eparchies adjacent to Bulgaria, for strengthening the legendary brotherly relationships between our sister Orthodox Churches.
Having been a good friend of the Romanians, Metropolitan Kiril participated several times in Romania in the monasteries celebrations and consecrations of churches.
At the same time, Metropolitan Kiril has permanently sustained us in the celebration of the memorial services at the graves of the Romanian heroes in the territories of the Metropolitanates of Varna and Durostor. Metropolitan Kiril has also laid the foundation stone of the new Metropolitan Cathedral of Varna, together with a group of Bulgarian and Romanian hierarchs and priests.
In this spirit of Orthodox brotherhood, the worthy remembering Metropolitan Kiril organised, together with the Bulgarian and Romanian hierarchs, pilgrimages of the holy relics and celebrations in several churches of Varna, Preslav, Targoviste and supported the common organisation of religious exhibitions and cultural events within the Metropolitanate of Varna and Veliko-Preslav.
At this time of great sadness for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church we address, in the name of the hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church and ours, personal, fatherly condolences to the clergy, inhabitants of the monasteries and faithful of the mourning Metropolitanate of Varna and Veliko-Preslav, and we pray Jesus Crist, our Lord and High Priest, to put the soul of the worthy remembering Metropolitan Kiril, our hierarch brother, in the light, peace and love of the Most Holy Trinity, in the host of His servant saints, who announced the Gospel of the salvation and eternal life to the world.
May he be always remembered from generation to generation! †DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
