Maxim of Bulgaria
Maxim ( Bulgarian Максим ) born as Marin Naydenov Minkov (also Marin Naydenov Minkov wrote, Bulg Марин Найденов Минков; born October 29, 1914 in Oreshak at Trojan, † November 6, 2012 in Sofia) was a Bulgarian Orthodox theologian, monk, priest, bishop, former Metropolitan of the Diocese of Lovech, Metropolitan of the Diocese of Sofia and Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church ( short BOK ).
Life and work
His spiritual career began when the parents 1927 Twelve -year-old gave the monastery Trojan, in which he lived for three years. From 1929 to 1935, he graduated from the Theological Academy Sofia with honors. This is followed by an activity joined as an economist and at the same time member of the choir at the church " Assumption " in Russian. From 1938 on he studied Orthodox theology at the University of Sofia. In 1941 he took his monastic vows and was given the spiritual name "Maxim". In 1944 he was ordained as a monk and priest in 1947 appointed Archimandrite. Another three years practiced Maxim from the office of Protosingels at the Metropolis of Tscherwen and Dorostol. From 1950 to 1955 he represented the BOK at the Moscow Patriarchate. From 1955 to 1960 he served as secretary of the Holy Synod also the chief editor of the synodal publisher.
In December 1956 he was in the Nevsky Cathedral consecrated with the titulary " Branitzki " bishop. Four years later he was elected Metropolitan of Lovech. During these years, his intense work began contact with the Christian Peace Conference (CFRP ), to the all six Allchristlichen peace meetings in Prague, he was involved from 1960 to 1985.
After the previous Patriarch Kiril was in 1971 died, he was elected in July 1971 to the Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia.
Maxim survived the change of the political system in his country in 1989, despite attempts to deny him the following. A minority of the Holy Synod announced it in 1992 on the obedience and trained under the " Patriarch Pimen counter " an " alternative Synod ", but returned in 2001 back to the church. During the visit of Pope John Paul II in 2002, Maxim was intent on perceived distance of his church to the Vatican and demonstrated remarkable restraint against Catholic monopolizing efforts.
In a Pan - Orthodox Council of all Orthodox church leaders, he was recognized in September 2006 as the leading patriarch of Bulgaria.
On November 6, at 3:30 clock in the morning Maxim died in Sofia hospital " Lozenez " of heart failure.