Tensions arose during a religious service to be held at the Sveti Georgi Church in Edirne due to a disagreement over the use of Bulgarian and Greek as the language of worship. The language dispute during the service led to churches being closed for ceremonies.

During the service, some participants demanded that the liturgy be conducted in Bulgarian, while others insisted that the existing program continue in Greek, leading to a verbal confrontation between the sides. After a brief period of tension, the atmosphere reportedly calmed down, and it was announced that no services would be held in any Bulgarian churches in Edirne.

It was stated that some participants reacted strongly to the situation, though the incident was brought under control before escalating further.

“We are closing our churches to services”

Dimitri Yotef (Dimitar Yotev), Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Exarchate Orthodox Church Foundation and an active representative of the Bulgarian Orthodox community in Istanbul and Turkey, criticized the situation, claiming that permission was not granted for a service in Bulgarian.

Yotev said:

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“Extreme fanaticism and an insult to the Bulgarian people”

Hristo Kopanov, Vice President of the Bulgarian Exarchate Orthodox Church Foundation, emphasized the sensitivity surrounding the issue of worship language, saying:

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