Moscow, December 25, 2015
On December 24, 2015, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk informed the members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church about the meeting of the Joint Commission of the Bulgarian and Russian Orthodox Churches on the Canonization of Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguchar (1881-1950) which was held on December 3-4 in Sofia. Archbishop Seraphim is a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church who many years lived in Bulgaria and is widely venerated by Bulgarian Orthodox believers.
At the meeting in Sofia the Russian Orthodox Church was represented by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Synodal Commission for Canonization of Saints Bishop Pankraty of Troitsk, Rector of the representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), Secretary of the Synodal Commission for Canonization of Saints Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyev, DECR Secretary of the Inter-Orthodox Relations Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, and Associate Professor of the Orthodox St. Tikhon’s University of the Humanities Andrei Kostryukov.
From the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Metropolitan John (Joan) of Varna and Veliky Preslav; Bishop Arseny of Znepolje, Vicar of the Plovdiv Metropolia; Archpriest Teodor Stoychev; Prof. P. Pavlov of Sofia University; S. Stefanov, senior lecturer at University of Shumen; and M. Stoyadinov, senior lecturer at the University of Veliko Turnovo took part in the meeting.
The reports from the Bulgarian side on the national veneration of Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguslav in Bulgaria were heard, the documentary evidence of the numerous miracles that occurred through the prayers of Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) were considered along with his theological works. After the Sofia meeting its participants stated that there were no obstacles for canonization of Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguchar.
On hearing the report of Metropolitan Hilarion, the Holy Synod decreed to put the question of canonization of Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguchar before the Council of Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church (to be held in February 2016) for examination (minutes no. 94), reports Patriarchia.ru.
