Bulgaria: Training requirements to become a priest in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; proportion of Roma among the clergy of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (1999)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 21 December 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BGR33442.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bulgaria: Training requirements to become a priest in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; proportion of Roma among the clergy of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (1999), 21 December 1999, BGR33442.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad4e3c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the Website of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the St John of Rila Seminary in Sofia is a "secondary school of theology" where boys and men wishing to join the Bulgarian Orthodox clergy go to study (n.d.). The Seminary
has a five-year course of studies for boys who have completed the 8-th school grade (corresponding to 14 years of age) and a two-year course of studies for men above 20 years of age. The students are mentioned thanks to scholarships granted by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and come chiefly from Bulgaria and the neighbouring countries. The curriculum of the school includes theological subjects and in accordance with the schools statute approved by Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Science and Technology it has also general subjects (ibid.).
In 13 December 1999 interview, a priest serving at Saints Kyril and Methody Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in New York stated that the training requirements for Bulgarian Orthodox clergy consist of five years of study at a seminary, followed by an additional four years at a university theological faculty. This information was corroborated by a priest serving at the Holy Trinity Macedeno-Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church in Toronto, who stated in a 13 December 1999 interview that
after the boy has completed seven years of education in his native village or town, he will enter into the seminary for five years. It would be equivalent to a high school program here. Then he would spend four years at the theological faculty of the Bulgarian university.
However, the priest indicated that not all members of the Bulgarian Orthodox clergy complete a course of study at the university theological faculty (ibid.). According to the priest, individuals wishing to serve in a village setting can do so upon completion of a course of study at the Seminary, with university training generally pursued by those wishing to become city-based priests (ibid.).
No information on the proportion of Roma among the clergy of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church could be found among the documentary sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in a letter dated 17 December 1999, the Executive Director of the Sofia-based Human Rights Project, an organization involved in defending the rights of Bulgaria's Roma minority, stated that neither she nor others with whom she had consulted knew of any Roma serving as Bulgarian Orthodox priests, and that this would be a "rare phenomenon."
Additional information from non-documentary sources could not be obtained within time constraints.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church. n.d. "Theological Schools: The Sofian Theological Seminary."
Holy Trinity Macedeno-Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church, Toronto. 13 December 1999. Telephone interview with priest.
Human Rights Project, Sofia. 17 December 1999. Correspondence from Executive Director.
Saints Kyril and Methody Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, New York. 13 December 1999. Telephone interview with priest.
Additional Sources Consulted
Bulgaria News Agency (BTA) [Sofia]. Aug. 1999-Nov. 1999.
IRB databases.
News.Bg [Sofia]. Jan. 1999-Nov. 1999.
World News Connection (WNC).
Unsuccessful attempts to contact the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; the St. John of Rila Seminary in Sofia; and the Faculty of Theology of St. Kliment Ohridski Univeristy.
Internet sites including:
Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Church in America.
World Council of Churches.