Patriarch Maxim (Minkov)

Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) (1914-2012)

Maxim may be spelt Maksim, Maximus.

Early life of Marin Naydenov Minkov

On 29 October, 1914, Marin Naydenov Minkov, the second of 2 children, was born in the pious artisan family of Nayden Minkov Rachev and his wife Pena Bordzhukova in the Oreshak village, in the Troyan Municipality of the Lovech “Okrug” (Province) of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. This was near the Troyan Dormition Monastery, a monastery of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

In childhood, Marin experienced the beneficial influence of the brethren of this holy monastery. When he was 12 years old, and he had barely completed the pro-grammar school in his native village, he was received and clothed as a novice in the Troyan monastery.

Troyan Monastery

Higher education

From 1929, Marin studied at the Sofia Theological Seminary, from which he graduated with honours in 1935.

After that, over the next 3 years, he served as a singer and business manager at the newly-constructed Holy Dormition Temple in Russe.

Holy Dormition Temple, Russe

In 1938, Marin was enrolled in the theological faculty of the Saint Clement of Ochrid State University of Sofia, from which he graduated in 1942. During the vacations and holidays, he served as a singer, librarian and preacher in the Troyan Monastery.

World War II, 1941

At the beginning of World War II, Bulgaria was a neutral nation. However, in March, 1941, the Nazi armed forces invaded Bulgaria, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria became a part of the Axis Powers, and its government became controlled by the Nazi German Government.

Monastic tonsure, 1941

During his last year of study at the theological faculty of the Saint Clement of Ochrid State University of Sofia, on 13 December, 1941, Marin was tonsured to be a monk in the faculty church by Metropolitan Philaret (Panayotov) of Lovech.

Marin was given the name Maxim in honour of the Monk Saint Maximus the Confessor.

At that time, the Abbot of the Monastery of Rila became Archimandrite Nathanael.

Diaconal ordination, 1941

On 19 December, 1941, the Monk Maxim (Minkov) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Metropolitan Paisiy (Ankov) of Vratsa in the Saint John of Rila Sobor of the Sofia Theological Seminary.

Diaconal service

After a short ministry as the Metropolitan deacon and preacher in the city of Lovech, Hierodeacon Maxim (Minkov) was assigned to serve as a teacher in the Sofia Theological Seminary. He continued in this responsibility between 1942 and 1947. As an educator, according to the evaluation of Protopresbyter Tsankov,

 he excelled in the right harmonic combination of strict discipline and order with love, as well as with 
 wise mentoring, which contributed to significant success in teaching and educating seminarians. 
 He instilled in them love for the Christian life and spiritual perfection.  He left them with good 
 memories.  As a teacher in the seminary, he taught 2 important theological disciplines : Basic Theology, 
 and Pastoral Theology.

Presbyteral ordination, 1944

On 14 May, 1944, the Hierodeacon Maxim (Minkov) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Metropolitan Paisy (Ankov) of Vratsa in the Dormition Monastery of Cherepish.

Cherepish Dormition Monastery

Presbyteral service

Hieromonk Maxim (Minkov) served in the Cherepish Monastery.

Communist Government of Bulgaria, 1944, 1946

In 1944, the Soviet Union invaded Bulgaria. This effectively ended the Bulgarian Monarchy. There followed a coup d’état, which led to the expulsion of 150,000 Bulgarians from Greek Thrace. In late 1946, the government officially became the Communist People’s Republic of Bulgaria. Following the policies of the Soviet Union, this government industrialised the formerly agrarian society, and it subjugated the Church as happened in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and in Romania before it. Pressure also began to be exerted on the Orthodox Church and upon other faiths.

On 12 July, 1947, Hieromonk Maxim (Minkov) was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite by Metropolitan Michael (Chavdorov) of Dorostol (Russe) and Cherven.

Archimandrite Maxim (Minkov) was assigned to serve as protosyngel (chancellor) of the Metropolis of Dorostol and Cherven.

In 1950, Archimandrite Maxim (Minkov) was assigned to serve as the Abbot of the Bulgarian Metochion in Moscow. (Later, it was moved to the Monastery of the Resurrection of the Lord : New Jerusalem in Istra in the Moscow County.) At that time, he expanded his knowledge of the Russian Orthodox Church ; he became acquainted with its archpastors and pastors ; and he gained the love of his parishioners.

In 1953, the autocephaly of the Church of Bulgaria was revived, and the head of the Bulgarian Church was once again called “patriarch” instead of “metropolitan”.

In the letters of 6 September and 17 November, 1955, sent by Patriarch Alexei I (Simansky) of Moscow and All Russia to Patriarch Kyril (Konstantinov) of Bulgaria about Archimandrite Maxim, Patriarch Alexei said that he was :

 modest in his outward manifestations, internally filled with a consciousness of his duty [...].  He was always 
 [...] an irreproachable bearer of his dignity.

After returning to his homeland, on 15 July, 1955, he was assigned to serve as the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and in 1957 he was also appointed Chairman of the editorial board of the Synodal periodicals “Church Herald” and “Spiritual Culture”. He held both positions until 1960.

Episcopal ordination, 1956

On 30 December, 1956, Archimandrite Maxim (Minkov) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in Sofia by Patriarch Kyril (Konstantinov) and other bishops.

Episcopal service

Titular Bishop of Branichev

Bishop Maxim was immediately assigned to serve as the Titular Bishop of Branichev, Eastern Serbia in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, on the territory of the Church of Serbia.

From 30 December, 1956, until 30 October, 1960, this diocese was a vicariate of the Church of Bulgaria.

As the Bishop of Branichev, he served as a Vicar-Bishop of Patriarch Kyril (Konstantinov) of Bulgaria.

Because of the political situation, he served the Branichev Diocese from Bulgaria as he worked for the development of the diocese and the education of the faithful there.

Metropolitan of Lovech, 1960

On 30 October, 1960, Bishop Maxim (Minkov) was canonically elected, transferred, and assigned to serve as the Metropolitan of Lovech. He was enthroned in the diocese on 20 November, 1960.

Saints Kiril and Metodi Cathedral, Lovech

As a metropolitan, he was a member of the delegation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at Pan-Orthodox meetings. He was a member of the Inter-Orthodox Commission for the preparation of the Pan-Orthodox Council ; and he represented the Church of Bulgaria repeatedly at various Orthodox meetings.

In July, 1968, Bishop Maxim (Minkov) represented the Church of Bulgaria at the Fourth Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Uppsala, Sweden.

On 7 March, 1971, Patriarch Kyril (Konstantinov) fell asleep in the Lord.

From 13 March to 4 July, 1971, Bishop Maxim (Minkov) served as the vice-chairman of the Holy Synod.

On 4 July, 1971, at the Patriarchal Election Sobor of the People’s Assembly, Metropolitan Maxim (Minkov) was canonically elected to become the Patriarch of Bulgaria.

Patriarch, 1971

On 4 July, 1971, on the same day as the election, Metropolitan Maxim (Minkov) was enthroned in the Patriarchal Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia.

Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia

Patriarchal service

Upon the enthronement, Metropolitan Maxim (Minkov) became the Metropolitan of Sofia, Patriarch of All Bulgaria.

Patriarch Pimen (Izvekov) of Moscow and All Russia, in his welcoming speech to the newly-elected and enthroned Bulgarian Patriarch, spoke of him as being a prominent hierarch, marked by many virtues "necessary for the performance of his responsible service".

Both as a metropolitan, and later as the patriarch, he represented his Church in numerous ecumenical and peacemaking forums and church celebrations.

Almost since the beginning of the Prague Peace Movement, he was a member of a number of governing bodies of the Christian Peace Conference, a member of the World Peace Council, a member of the Affairs Committee of the World Council of Churches, and a vice-chairman of the Bulgarian National Peace Committee. He was a representative from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at the All-Christian Peace Assemblies in Prague and Berlin, at both Zagorsk Conferences of all Religions in the USSR (1952, 1969) for co-operation and peace amongst nations.

During his long patriarchate in Bulgaria, great changes took place, the Communist Party lost power, the country joined NATO and the European Union. Despite the painful schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) managed to rally the majority of Orthodox Christian believers.

Metropolitan Joseph (Bosakov) and the Bulgarian Diocese of USA and Australia, 1983

In 1983, Metropolitan Joseph (Bosakov) was assigned to serve in the USA, first in the Akron, Ohio, Diocese of the Bulgarian Church in North America.

In 1989, Patriarch Maxim and the Holy Synod of the Church of Bulgaria assigned him the responsibility of renewing the American and Australian Diocese of the Church of Bulgaria. Having taken up this obedience, he persevered in fulfilling the responsibility for many decades thereafter. He did so with very few practical resources.

Metropolitan Joseph had been tonsured to be a monk, and ordained to the Holy Diaconate, the Holy Priesthood (1970), and then to the Holy Episcopate (1980) by Metropolitan and then Patriarch Maxim. His formation during that decade had given him sufficient experience to be able to cope with the formidable task to which he was assigned.

Post-communist developments, 1989

After the fall of communism in 1989, the new democratic government in Bulgaria attempted to replace public figures appointed during communist times, including the Patriarch. Because of the separation of Church and state, such a decision could only be made by the Church. At this time, there arose a movement (which the Holy Synod denounced) that wished to bring about “democratic reforms” in the Church. In 1991, the new government in Bulgaria created a Board of Religious Affairs that began to initiate reforms in the country’s religious institutions. This board was similar in structure to the one used by communist governments throughout the Soviet Bloc to control all religious activities within each country (with the intent to eradicate all religion).

In March, 1992, the Board of Religious Affairs of the Government of Bulgaria ruled that the 1971 election of Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) was declared to be illegal because he had been appointed by the communist government in an uncanonical manner. This triggered a division amongst the bishops ; and 3 of them (under the leadership of Metropolitan Pimen (Enev) of Nevrokop) called publicly for Patriarch Maxim’s deposition.

Schism, 1992

A split occurred in the Church between Patriarch Maxim’s supporters and those who attempted to remove him, who formed their own synod. The schism plunged the Church into turmoil, with occupations of principal church buildings by the schismatics.

Dr. Spas Raikin, who had been a long-time critic of the Bulgarian Holy Synod for their co-operation with the Communist government, was joyful about the change of government. However, he also understood that a sudden complete change was not possible. He wrote : “they all have been tainted, like men who had been sucked into a violent stream and all came out wet. But I felt that the Church had nothing better to start with on the road to her recovery’. He supported the canonical Church, therefore, in what followed.

He further commented on the context :

 The Government of Bulgaria and their hand-picked Synod have made use of a legal instrument designed by 
 the Communists to insure state controls over the Church to subjugate the Church to the State. These controls and 
 this subjugation were affected by way of legally mandated procedures of registration and election of the church 
 officials. In the course of time, both State and Church had allowed these procedures to lapse.  Having tamed the 
 Church with terror and brutalities, and having reduced its leaders to totally submissive robot-like lackeys, the 
 Communists dispensed with all prescribed procedures of the law.  The election of diocesan and patriarchal 
 electors and the holding of quadrennial Church-National Councils were abandoned as an useless charade.  No such
 elections and no such Councils were held after the first such event in 1953 which elected Patriarch Kiril.  The 
 Church reverted to its old canonical practices where the episcopate would perform these functions and formalize 
 the elections as best as they could to satisfy the law always in tune with the wishes of the government. 
 Implementing the prescribed procedures, subject to manipulation by the civil authorities, would not produce 
 different results.  To claim, as it is claimed now by the schismatics, that the Church could exercise freedom of 
 choice, is a misrepresentation of realities in Bulgaria of the times when these events were taking place.

Archbishop Kyrill (Yonchev) of Pittsburgh in Bulgaria, 1992

It was in 1992 (after the fall of Communism) that it became possible for Archbishop Kyrill (Yonchev) of the Bulgarian Diocese of The Orthodox Church in America to visit Patriarch Maxim and the Holy Synod of the Church of Bulgaria. Despite the difficulties regarding the schism in Bulgaria, as a result of their conversations, Eucharistic Communion was restored between that diocese and the Church of Bulgaria (despite the troubles being experienced at that time within Bulgaria).

Explanation of background by Janice Broun

In 2008, Janice Broun supplied this background information :

The exarchate bylaws of 1895 had guaranteed the Church autonomy. The 1947 Bulgarian Constitution
guaranteed separation of Church and state. These provisions were, however, rendered void by the Law on
Faiths of February 1949, which gave the state almost complete control over the churches. Article 12 required
that all clergy be approved by the Committee for the Affairs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and of
Religious Cults. This was a Department of the Foreign Ministry, which had traditionally handled the affairs
of religious bodies in Bulgaria since the substantial ethnic minorities in Bulgaria had links abroad. Should
leaders of the respective denominations fail to carry out disciplinary action as required by the Committee,
clergy could still be removed by administrative means. In practice, the Holy Synod disciplined its priests
without apparent demur.
The Church was ordered to draw up new bylaws which had to be submitted to the Foreign Ministry. These
gave the bishops the final say on administrative and judicial matters within their own dioceses and enabled
the Synod to police the Church and enforce government dictates. The bylaws also extended participation in
Church government to the lesser clergy and the laity. Elected parish councils provided representatives to elect
district delegates. These chose the metropolitans (bishops with dioceses, in addition to titular bishops) and the
patriarchal electoral college when the Patriarchate became vacant. This process was not as democratic as it
might appear, since it opened the way for government interference in the selection of parish councils and thus
the manipulation of all other elections.
The 'Tsurkovno-naroden Subor' (Council of Church and Nation) was to be elected and meet every four years
to decide on the most important questions of Church life ; but after Kiril's election in 1953, it was not convened
again. The Church reverted to old canonical procedures, whereby the episcopate formalised elections in
accordance with the dictates of the government. [...]
The state exploited the poverty of the Church in order to tighten its grip. The Church's financial resources and
estates were so limited that ever since its declaration of autocephaly it had been dependent on state subsidies.
Under communism its main source of income was the sale of candles. The state subsidy, 13 per cent of its
income, just covered its annual deficit. Despite its legal recognition (Article 3 of the Law on Faiths) as the
traditional religious denomination of the Bulgarian people, and the fact that it was allowed institutions denied
to other churches and religions, the Orthodox Church led a narrowly circumscribed existence. Its publishing
activities were very limited, and the Synod bookshop was virtually empty. Only one (badly printed) edition of the
Bible appeared, in 1982, and most of the 28,000 copies ended up locked away in monasteries. No religious
instruction of children under 16 was permitted. In 1962, the government boasted of a dramatic decline in
Church membership unmatched elsewhere in the Soviet bloc.
By the early 1970s, however, it was obvious to the government that the Church was not dying out. The
government accordingly adopted a policy of infiltration on a massive scale, in order completely to atheise the
Church from within. [...] The Patriarchs Kiril and Maksim and the older metropolitans had been chosen from
among genuine monks. As the older generation of bishops gradually died off, however, they were replaced by
men who were susceptible to persuasion to co-operate with the state, either in return for favours or because
they had been compromised. All theological institutions (except two) were closed. One survivor, the Saint
Kliment of Okhrid Academy in Sofia, was withdrawn from Sofia University, closed to women and for the
next 20 years filled mainly with university rejects.

The consequence of this was a steady decline in the number of clergy and the number of properly educated and formed clergy. The propaganda of the state also produced a decline in the number of people who declared themselves to be Orthodox Christians. As in every other post-Communist state, the leaders of both the state and the Church continued to be those who had been formed or deformed by the Communist environment. There were no other people available. Until 1991, the government was still predominately Communist. As for the most active “reformer”, Bishop Khristofor (Subev), Janice Broun provided this background information :

[He] came from a communist party background (though he did not publicly admit this until autumn, 1992) ; his
father worked in the Ministry of the Interior prisons. As an activist student he had led a group of Che Guevara
sympathisers. As an atomic physicist, he was allowed to study in Moscow. Following two broken marriages
he took monastic vows in 1980, enrolling in an Academy correspondence course. One of his teachers at that
time suspected him of being an agent of the security services. In 1989, he emerged as a leading dissident.
His interesting and constructive ideas won widespread approval amongst people who belonged to the Church,
and the many more who were sympathetic and looked for a reformed church to provide a moral lead as
Bulgaria emerged from communism.
Subev's Committee campaigned to end state interference in religion. It aimed also to promote understanding
and tolerance amongst the different faiths of Bulgaria (Judaism and Islam included). It supported the Turks who
were under threat of complete forcible assimilation. Subev was imprisoned during the summer of 1989
because of his campaign on their behalf. At the same time, the Synod was publicly affirming the status quo,
and gratefully acknowledging its mutually respectful relations with the state. It spoke of 'planned and
systematic Scripture publishing' and of the church's 'evangelisation of her spiritual children'. Such patently
false claims only brought it into deeper disrepute. Subev and the Committee participated in the events of
10 November which precipitated the fall of Zhivkov [1989], and in the subsequent round table discussions with
the government on democratisation. Nine independent groups coalesced to form the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF).
While Subev pressed for religious renewal and reform and for Maksim's resignation, the Synod, relegated
to observer status, waited to see which way the wind would blow. When on 9 January, 1990, the Synod
summoned up courage to broach the question of normalisation of Church life with the government, it
appropriated the Religious Rights Committee's programme, which it had previously condemned, and
presented it as its own. There were a few tactical omissions, such as the requests which would require
changes in the Constitution, and appeals for greater co-operation between different denominations and
religions. On the question of ecumenism, Subev remained far ahead of his establishment.

Janice Broun also pointed out that it became public knowledge that the religious leadership of the Orthodox Church and of the Muslims had been appointed by the government of Tudor Zhivkov. She further reminds us that the diocese (Mariopol) to which Bishop Khristofor (Subev) had been ordained was south of the official Bulgarian border, in Macedonia.

Attack on the Church of Bulgaria by the government of Bulgaria, 1992

For some unexplained reasons, and supposedly with the aim of decommunisation, there began an attack by the government against the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. On 9 March, 1992, under the first Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) government led by Filip Dimitrov, the director of the Board for Religious Affairs, Metodi Spasov, told the Holy Synod bluntly that Patriarch Maxim's election as patriarch in 1971 had violated the bylaws of the Church, and that it was therefore invalid. In doing so, Mr. Spasov embraced the concept of caesaropapism and he applied it in Bulgaria under a supposed democracy in just the way the Communists had done before.

On 18 March, 3 prominent metropolitans confirmed that in their opinion the election of 1971 was null and void. Metropolitan Pimen (Enev) was amongst the initiators of the Bulgarian Church Schism. It is alleged that since he had also been also a candidate in 1971, he now took the opportunity to gain the patriarchal throne. On 18 May, 1992, together with the Metropolitans Pancratiy (Donchev) of Stara Zagora ; Kalinik (Alexandrov) of Vrachansk ; Stefan (Staykov) of Veliko Tarnovo (who had just previously been retired by the Holy Synod because of age and incapacity) ; Sofroniy (Stoichev) of Dorostol and Cherven, he signed an application supporting the decision of the Directorate of Religious Affairs about the illegitimacy of the election of Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) of Bulgaria in 1971. The metropolitans then declared that they considered Patriarch Maxim to be illegitimate, and they began a procedure for the election of a new patriarch. It is useful to keep in mind that the first 3 metropolitans had been members of the Holy Synod Standing Committee of the Holy Synod of Bishops for many years. These bishops and others chose Metropolitan Pimen (Enev) to be the Temporary President of the Holy Synod. It was pointed out by Dr. Spas Raikin that the dissident metropolitans

 held a Protestant, Congregationalist, and Lutheran doctrine of the Church as a society of believers.

He further commented that

 Without realising it, more because of ignorance of the Orthodox doctrine of the Church as a continuity of an 
 apostolic tradition than deliberate intent, the schismatics in Bulgaria had initiated a Protestant reformation in 
 Sofia.

Janice Broun elaborated :

 Ignoring canon law, which vests Church government in the episcopate as inheritors of the apostolic succession, 
 the metropolitans argued that the fundamental authority lay with the parish councils.  The Patriarch, in their 
 view, represented the apex of an electoral pyramid.  Their very argument, however, contravened canon law, 
 which takes precedence when there is any ambiguity or where state law and canon law are at variance.

On 15 May, 1992, Prime Minister P Dimitrov (since 1989, involved as a lawyer with amending the 1949 Law on Faiths), declared himself as opposed to state interference in religious affairs. It was his opinion that many of the proposed amendments to the law revealed a deep ignorance of the canon law of the Orthodox Church, and the Law on Faiths could be used against the interests of religious believers should the state so intend.

“Alternative Synod”

Thus, on 18 May, 1992, the so-called “Alternative Synod” (or “Provisional Synod”) was created, which included 5 of the 13 Metropolitans of the Church of Bulgaria. Also included were Bishops Antony (Kostov), Hilarion (Tsonev), Nestor (Krastev), Nahum (Dimitrov) and Galaktion (Tabakov). Then, on 25-26 May, 1992, through Decree no. 92, Metodi Spasov declared that Patriarch Maxim and the entire Holy Synod were illegitimate and uncanonical, and he replaced them with a “Provisional Synod” under the 3 dissident metropolitans together with the enigmatic reformist new bishop and UDF politician Bishop Khristofor (Subev) (founder of the Committee for the Defence of Religious Rights, Freedom of Conscience, and Spiritual Values). Led by Professor Radko Poptodorov, who had called for a purge of the Holy Synod over a year before, they were backed by a Priests' Union which represented a minority of clergy disillusioned by the Holy Synod's reluctance to reform itself or allow open discussion.

According to Dr. Spas Raikin, it seems that the complaint was that the election of 1971 had not followed the procedures of the by-laws of the Church (imposed on the Holy Synod by the former Communist regime in 1951), and that Patriarch Maxim had been nominated by the Politburo. The accusation extended to the other members of the Holy Synod since during Communist times, all leaders had to be approved by the Communist leadership as being to an acceptable extent co-operative with the government. The accusing bishops were not themselves exempt from this procedure. Furthermore, they alleged that the Holy Synod Members had not been registered with the Office of Religious Affairs (the continuation of the same department that existed in the Communist government), as stipulated by the same law. The Holy Synod was never called by anyone to explain these failures of procedure, which the dissident bishops had, in fact, readily accepted for 20 years. No parliamentary hearings were ever held on this subject. Immediately, Metropolitan Sofroni (Stoychev) of Russe, charging that he had been misled, withdrew from the pseudo-synod. Bishops Nestor (Krastev), Nahum (Dimitrov), and Hilarion (Tsonev), likewise, charged that their names had been used without their consent and they refused to join. Moreover, despite the claims of the so-called Union of Priests, the vast majority of clergy remained with the true Holy Synod. The pseudo-synod ended with 3 Metropolitans (not counting Stefan for his physical and mental disabilities) and 2 bishops. The Hieromonk Khristofor (Subev) was ordained a bishop immediately.

Invasion of the Holy Synod Headquarters

On 31 May, 1992, a band of armed men, led by Bishop Khristofor (Subev), invaded the Headquarters of the Holy Synod, barricaded themselves inside, placed armed bodyguards to protect them, and barred the Patriarch and the other Metropolitans from their offices. The Attorney General of the country and the police authorities refused to intervene.

On 3 June, 1992, Metodi Spasov, the Director of Religious Affairs, blocked the bank accounts of the Patriarchal Synod. This action left the Holy Synod of the Patriarch without the means to fulfil their work. By the same order, these financial assets were made available to the schismatics. On 10 June, Metropolitan Pimen led a human chain to bar Patriarch Maxim's entrance to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral for a special service on the anniversary of his enthronement. After this, every evening seminarians kept vigil in shifts behind the iconostasis in order to protect the cathedral from being captured by supporters of the Provisional Synod.

In this context, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, having endured persecution under the Communists, now found itself under a severe persecution by the authorities of the new democratic government. It was also being terrorised by armed bands led by Bishop Khristofor (Subev). Such a spectacle did not draw people into the Church, and this particular turmoil is one reason why the Church of Bulgaria was the slowest of all to recover from the communist period.

Deposition of the schismatics

On 22 July, 1992, Patriarch Maxim convened a Council of all the Bishops of the Church of Bulgaria. Acting as the Highest Court of the Church, the bishops decided to depose Metropolitans Pimen (Enev), Pankrati (Donchev), Kalinin (Vrachanksi), Stefan (Staykov), Anthony (Kostov) and Galaktion (Tabakov), and to excommunicate Bishop Khristofor from the Church.

Meanwhile, Patriarch Maxim had appealed to the President of the Republic to exert his influence in order to stop the arbitrary acts of the authorities against the Church. The president, Dr. Zheliu Zhelev referred this appeal to the Constitutional Court, which ruled on 11 June, 1992, that the actions of Metodi Spasov had been in violation of the constitutional provision for separation of Church and State. However, the court referred the matter to the Supreme Court to decide on the legitimacy of the Patriarch and the Synod. On 2 July, 1992, the Supreme Court ruled that it could not consider the appeal of Patriarch Maxim because his petition-appeal had been submitted to the court one day beyond the 7-day period stipulated by the law. The court continued to argue that since he had not been registered with the Directorate of Religious Affairs, according to the prescribed procedures by the Law on Religions, he was illegitimate and illegal, and was not entitled to petition the Court.

Schismatic Patriarch Pimen, 1996

On 1 July, 1996, in the Temple of Saint Paraskeva in the capital (not the Cathedral Temple of the patriarchate), Metropolitan Pimen was proclaimed to be an alternative patriarch.

Patriarch Maxim appealed for help in order to recover the offices and records of the Holy Synod, but both the Attorney General and the Mayor of Sofia were partisans of the schismatics, and they gave no help.

However, although “Patriarch” Pimen attempted to force the former bishops into exile in monasteries, he was not able to achieve this. Neither was the schismatic synod capable of taking over various monasteries and dioceses, nor the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, nor the Sobor of Saint Nedelya (this word can mean “Holy Week”, or “Sunday” in Bulgarian, but the actual dedication is to Saint Kyriaki).

Usurpation of the seminary by schismatics, 1992

In early September, 1992, the schismatics forcefully took control of the seminary in Sofia. The gates were chained. The canonical rector, Bishop Gregory (who had been absent at a conference abroad), summoned the students to begin the semester. They arrived. While Bishop Gregory was speaking to them outside the gates, many students went over the walls, subdued the occupants, forced open the gates, and all entered the seminary. All returned to normal.

On 6 November, 1992, the Constitutional Court ruled that both Synods were invalid. The old Synod challenged the Court's decision. In January, 1993, the Provisional Synod was further weakened. Prime Minister Lyuben Berov assured a Synod delegation that his government would do its best to make it possible for the Church to have its proper role in national life. On 6 January, at the Blessing of the Waters in the Sofia Cathedral on 6 January, the Prime Minster and other senior government persons were present, as well as (for the first time since 1945) representatives of the army. Also present were Metropolitan Chrysostom (Konstantinidis) of Ephesus and 2 other top-level delegates from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On 10 January, Metropolitan Chrysostom publicly declared the Patriarchate's support for the Synod, stating that it had not been approached by the Provisional Synod. However, Professor Radko Poptodorov objected to the Ecumenical Patriarch's interference on the grounds that he is only "primus inter pares" amongst Orthodox Church leaders. The President stressed to the Ecumenical Patriarch his conviction that the renewal of the Church can be achieved 'only in accordance with its canons, and without interference (by the state) in Church affairs'. The new cabinet pledged to abolish the Board for Religious Affairs.

Continued support of the schism by the State, 1997

When Petar Stoyanov was sworn in as Bulgarian President in January 1997, “Patriarch” Pimen conducted a blessing ceremony, and in March, 1997, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the registration of Patriarch Maxim’s Holy Synod was invalid.

In January, 1998, President Stoyanov called upon both Patriarchs to resign to provide for the election of a single successor that would end the schism.

Intervention by the heads of Autocephalous Churches, 1998

In 1998, a Pan-Orthodox Council was summoned, which convened very quickly in Sofia. Led by Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis) of Constantinople (Istanbul), 13 of the 14 recognised Autocephalous Orthodox Churches were involved. This Council examined the situation and passed through very difficult and convoluted negotiations. As a result, a reconciliation was achieved. The Pan-Orthodox Council accepted "Patriarch" Pimen's repentance, and he was admitted to the Church meeting with the title "ex-Metropolitan of Nevrokop".

 Patriarch Bartholomew emphasised that neither side could claim victory nor
 defeat ; only the devil had lost.  The primates reaffirmed that schisms within local 
 Churches constitute a grievous sin which prevents the Faithful from receiving the 
 sanctifying and saving Grace of the Holy Spirit.  It arrived at its decisions 
 unanimously.

For nearly a decade, the 2 synods had existed side by side, with the schismatics claiming the support of 30 percent of the country’s 1,000 priests. The majority of believers remained loyal to Patriarch Maxim, who was recognised as the legitimate patriarch by the other autocephalous Orthodox Churches. An effort of reconciliation was short-lived. Patriarch Pimen was not replaced after his death in 1999, and in December, 2002, a new Bulgarian law on religion marginalised and started to persecute the Alternative Synod. Eventually the Bulgarian authorities decided to intervene. In 2002, Pope John Paul II visited Bulgaria. This visit had been particularly important to the Bulgarian government because a Bulgarian Muslim had attempted to kill the pope, which event resulted in a break in diplomatic relations for several years. A political rapprochement was needed, but the position of the Orthodox Church had to be clear as well, as being an Orthodox Church that was not subject to the Vatican City-State.

On the night of 20-21 July, 2004, priests of the Alternative Synod that opposed Patriarch Maxim’s leadership were evicted forcibly from approximately 250 churches and other properties that the Holy Synod claimed they were occupying illegally. In the immediate aftermath of the operation, clerics from the Alternative Synod held religious services outside of the churches from which they had been evicted. A synod was held in 2008 for the election of the new head of the schismatic church, and Metropolitan Innocent (Krupnika) was elected as the leading hierarch. In 2010, Metropolitan Innocent (Krupnika) called for a healing of the division between the churches. The schismatic entity was in full communion with the then-active Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kiev Patriarchate, with the Orthodox Church in Italy (Milan Synod, and with the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. However, none of these was a canonical entity, and none was recognised by the Orthodox Church.

After being hospitalised on 2 May, 2006, as a consequence of a repeated fracture of his leg, Patriarch Maxim signed a document about the temporary transfer of authority of the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to Metropolitan Kyril (Kovachev), who was temporarily authorised to call and to chair meetings of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Healing of the schism, 2010

Subsequently, Patriarch Maxim safely recovered, and he returned to the administration of the Church. The schism ended in 2010, when Metropolitan Innocent (Krupnika), the head of the rival synod, called for a healing of the division and dissolved his synod.

Meanwhile, a panel reviewing communist-era collaborators with former security services found no links to Patriarch Maxim, although it revealed that 11 out of Bulgaria’s 15 bishops had collaborated to some extent with the communist government.

Nativity services, Saint Alexander Nevsky, Sofia

Despite the deterioration of his health in his later years, Patriarch Maxim continued to fulfil his duties until the last.

In April, 2012, Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) received Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia on an official fraternal visit.

At the age of 99, Patriarch Maxim was the oldest of the Orthodox Primates in the world (in terms of episcopal ordination) amongst the primates of the Local Orthodox Churches. He was also the oldest (in terms of episcopal ordination) in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. However, his health began rapidly to weaken.

Repose, 2012

On 6 November, 2012, Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) fell asleep in the Lord in the Lozenets Hospital in Sofia.

On 9 November, 2012, the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Hierarch were served for Patriarch Maxim in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral in Sofia.

After the services, his body was entombed at the Dormition Sobor of the Troyan Monastery.

— Bishop of Branichev 1956-1960. Preceded by : ____. Succeeded by : ____.

— Vicar-Bishop of Patriarch Kyril (Konstantinov) 1956-1960.

— Metropolitan of Lovech 1960-1971. Preceded by : ____. Succeeded by : ____.

— Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia 1971-2012. Preceded by : Patriarch Kyril (Konstantinov). Succeeded by : Patriarch Neophyte (Dimitrov).

Reflections

During his long patriarchate in Bulgaria, great changes took place : the Communist Party lost power, the country joined NATO and the European Union. Despite the painful schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Maxim managed to rally the majority of believers. Generally, Patriarch Maxim shunned political life, although he remained an influential figure throughout his tenure. He was hailed for meeting with Pope John Paul II during his 2002 visit to Sofia, a trip seen as warming the frosty relationship between the Church and the Vatican. He also rallied support amongst his Orthodox colleagues in other countries for the release of 6 Bulgarian medics sentenced to death by the Muammar Gadhafi government in Libya allegedly for having deliberately infected children with HIV.

Patriarch Maxim was truly a genuine monk of pure living, despite the fact that he was constantly under attack, particularly during the schism. The pressures against him by the government were present, however, from the beginning. He did not obey any of the attempts of the authorities against the Church. He did not tremble when the hooligan associates of the dissenter "Fori" (meaning "fire-fly") [i.e. Bishop Khristofor (Subev)] tore up his image in front of the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Patriarch Maxim delayed as long as possible the visit of the Pope of Rome (John Paul II) to the country ; and when this visit did take place, he met the Pope in a manner that would not in any way lower the dignity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. (This was a danger, since the Pope is both a bishop and a head-of-state.) Patriarch Maxim’s demeanour in the papal presence was that of an equal.

One person who lived there at the time commented : "The push to 'overthrow' the Patriarch was not so much about him, the person Maxim, as a Patriarch, but more about a group of people settling old scores and/or building their own towers of importance". With regard to the bishops who joined the rebellion, this person added :

 Of the bishops who 'joined' Subev's leadership, I know (personally) only 2 :  Metropolitan Sofroniy (of 
 Russe - or Dorostol as it was in the Church) and Antoniy (the vicar of the Metropolia).  Both were very 
 old, very, very old, and Dyado Antoniy was not well in the head.  I didn't know the mental state of 
 Dyado Sofroniy at the time (we didn't live in Russe any longer) ; but I know that when I had last seen 
 him 7-8 years before, he was very much removed from life outside his spiritual existence.

The comments continued :

I held the belief that the hierarchy of the Bulgarian Church (ever since the communist dictatorship was
established in the country) were by default ruled by the communists : some to a greater degree, some to
a lesser degree. Had any bishop done or said anything that bothered the regime, he would have been
removed. In that context, my personal stance was that, because the bishops were ordained formally,
canonically, and properly, they are true bishops who have ordained true priests and I am a member of
the true Church. Their personal deeds and thoughts were to be judged by God. A quick 'democratic'
'reform' of the Church, even if it had been well-intended, was not how the Church did things. [...]
One thing I am quite certain of (not because I have the facts) is that he [Patriarch Maxim] didn't act
based on personal dislikes, pettiness, or malice. I don't think anyone has accused him of that. In
the times when many (most) of the clergy - especially the bishops - were rumored to have various
indulgences, vices, and acts of immorality, there was nothing on Patriarch Maxim. He always appeared
to be composed and spiritually sound. He was not a great leader of the Church, he was not
inspirational, he was not a preacher, but he held the fort - maybe more as a symbolic flag up there
at the top of the fortress rather than a defiant defender, but still, there was a flag up there that
signified the lack of non-existence. [...] Bottom line : we should read the scriptures, pray that the
Holy Spirit leads our ways, and think about our sins. The rest is vanity.

After enduring the many years of the schism, Patriarch Maxim did not change. He remained the same kind man. Because of him, there were positive changes in Bulgaria.

Archbishop Kyrill (Yonchev) in his diocese North America had experienced many difficulties throughout much of his episcopate (with regard to the relationship with the Patriarchate of Bulgaria). These were not caused by the patriarchate or the patriarch, but by the communist civil authorities which forced the Church to act contrary to Her natural inclinations. The true disposition of Patriarch Maxim was expressed in his rapid embracing of reconciliation with Archbishop Kyrill (Yonchev) upon Vladyka Kyrill's appearance in Sofia after the official end of communist rule.

In 1990, Archbishop Kyrill had sent a letter of repentance to Patriarch Maxim (Minkov). He begged for forgiveness for everything.

Then, in 1992, Vladyka Kyrill visited his homeland for the first time since 1950. At that time, fraternal relations were established between him and Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) and the fulness of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. This fact also improved the relationship between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and The Orthodox Church in America.

As is usually the case with patriarchs and other heads of local Churches, there is criticism (often politicised) of their behaviours and decisions by those within the Church who disagree with them about one or another matter, and by those outside the Church who have a different perception of the world and of situations. An assessment of such a person cannot be limited to one or even several matters. Rather, it must consider the whole of the person's life and service. For an Orthodox Christian, a main criterion in discernment (or “litmus test”) is the Dominical saying, “By their fruits you will know them” :

 ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You 
 will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every 
 good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad 
 tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  
 Therefore by their fruits you will know them’ (Matthew 7:15-20).

Awards, honourary memberships

• Doctor of Theology "honoris causa" of the Sofia Theological Academy (from the Council of the Sofia Theological Academy, 1974).

• Order "People's Republic of Bulgaria", 1st degree, 1974

• Order of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of the Holy Tsar Boris the Baptist (on the occasion of his 65th birthday, 29 October, 1979)

• Order "13 Centuries Bulgaria", 1985

• Order "Stara Planina", 1st degree (for his great merits in the spiritual life of the Bulgarian people, for the wise management of the affairs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the 90th anniversary of his birth), by President Georgi Parvanov, 2004

• "Contribution to the Development of the Orthodox Peoples" (by Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger) of Moscow and All Russia), 2004)

• Honourary Citizen of Troyan, Bulgaria, 2005

• Honourary Citizen of Sofia, Bulgaria, 2011

• Honourary Citizen of Lovech, Bulgaria, 2012

Writings

• "In the Vineyard of the Lord" (Sophia : Synodal Publishing House, 1975), edition for the 60th anniversary of Patriarch Maxim, a collection of his words, speeches and articles from 1950-1974.

Writings about the patriarch by various authors :

• "Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate", no. 9 (1971), p. 51.

References

Wikipedia biography

Orthodoxwiki biography

Patriarchia.ru biography

Official Bulgarian Patriarchate biography

Pravoslavieto biography of Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria (in Bulgarian)

Bulgarian Wikipedia biography of Patriarch Maxim

Drevo Open Orthodox Encyclopaedia biography

Orthodox Research Institute listing

Additional information :

Broun, Janice, ‘The Schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’ in “Religion, State and Society”, vol. 21, no. 2 (1993).

......, ‘The Schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Part 2 : Under the Second Union of Democratic Forces Government, 1997-2001’ in “Religion, State & Society”, vol. 30, no. 4 (Carafax Publishing, 2002).

......, 'Divisions in Eastern Orthodoxy Today' in "East-West Church & Ministry Report", vol. 5, no. 2 (Spring, 1997) [Covering the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe]

Broun, Janice, and Sikorska, Grażyna, “Conscience and Captivity : Religion in Eastern Europe” (Washington, DC : Ethics and Public Policy Centre, 1 January, 1988). ISBN10 : 0896331296. ISBN13 : 9780896331297.

Dimitrov, Ivan Z, ‘Bulgarian Christianity’ in “The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Orthodoxy”, ed. Parry, Ken (Oxford : John Wiley & Sons, 2007). ISBN 10 : 0631234233 ; ISBN 13 : 9780631234234

Raikin, Spas T, ‘Schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’ in “Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe”, vol. 13, issue 1, article 3 (George Fox University, 1993).

Skurat K E, ‘Chapter IV : The Bulgarian Orthodox Church’ in “History of the Orthodox Local Churches”

Tsatsov, Boris, “Archbishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church” (Sofia : Princeps, 2003) ISBN : 954-8067-75-7.

Wikipedia list of Patriarchs of Bulgaria

Bulgarian Orthodox Church web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Bulgaria

Wikipedia article about the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Bulgarian Patriarchate History of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Bulgarian Wikipedia article about the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Sofia, Bulgaria

Wikipedia article about the Kingdom of Bulgaria

Wikipedia article about the People’s Republic of Bulgaria

Wikipedia article about the schism and the Alternative Synod