Metropolitan Simeon (in the world of Hristo Dimitrov Kostadinov ; September 17, 1926 , Varna - April 16, 2016) - the Bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in retirement, Metropolitan of Western and Middle European .
Metropolitan Simeon | ||
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April 17, 1986 - December 1, 2009 June 8, 2010 - June 11, 2013 | ||
Predecessor | Diocese established | |
Successor | Anthony (Mikhalev) | |
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December 22, 1979 - April 17, 1986 | ||
Successor | Vicariate converted to Western European Diocese | |
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January 14, 1973 - April 17, 1986 | ||
Predecessor | Stefan (Yovkov) | |
Successor | John (Stoykov) | |
Birth name | Simeon Dimitrov Kostadinov | |
Birth | ||
Death | ||
Adoption of holy dignity | February 12, 1955 | |
Adoption of monasticism | December 6, 1954 | |
Episcopal consecration | January 14, 1973 |
Biography
Primary and secondary education received in his hometown. In 1945–1946, he worked as an elementary school teacher in the village of Dryndar (now the Varna region). Then for four years he was the youngest teacher in the village of Suvorovo . He studied at the institute for the improvement of teachers and pedagogues and after completion he worked as a teacher in Sofia, in parallel in 1952 he graduated from the Sofia Theological Seminary of St. John of Rila. In 1953 he entered the Theological Academy of St. Clement of Ohrid in Sofia. As a student by decision of the Holy Synod, he was accepted as a novice in the Transfiguration Monastery [1] .
On December 6, 1954, Metropolitan Lovchansky Filaret (Atanasov) in the academic temple was tonsured as a monk with the name Simeon under the spiritual guidance of the Bishop of Levky Parthenius (Stamatov) [1] .
On February 12, 1955, in the same church, the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Nikolai (Kozhukharov), was ordained a deacon [1] .
In the same year he was numbered among the fraternity of the Rila monastery , where he spent his vacation months. From the end of 1957 until the summer of 1959, he specialized in the Moscow Theological Academy . With the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church on October 8, 1958 in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy I ordained him priesthood [1] .
In 1957-1958 he interned at the Moscow Theological Academy .
On October 8, 1958, he was ordained by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy I in hieromonk .
In 1959 he returned to Bulgaria and was appointed a teacher at the Sofia Theological Seminary .
November 1, 1961 was erected in the archimandrite .
From January 22, 1966 - the protosingel of the New York Diocese .
On January 14, 1973, in the cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky, he was ordained bishop of Glavinitsky and appointed vicar of New York and locum tenens of the Akron metropolis.
On December 22, 1979, he was appointed patriarchal vicar, who governs Bulgarian church communities in Western Europe.
Since 1980 - Patriarchal Vicar for the care of Western Europe with a stay in Budapest .
On April 17, 1986, he was appointed by the ruling bishop of Western Europe, elevated to the rank of Metropolitan .
On May 30, 1994, the title was changed to Western and Middle European, and the department was moved to Berlin .
On June 24, 2005, he retired for health reasons, retaining the same title. However, on October 27 of the same year he again headed the Western and Central European Diocese.
On December 1, 2009, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church freed Metropolitan Simeon and his vicar Tikhon (Ivanov) from their posts. The basis for the decision was the long-term residence of Metropolitan Simeon outside his diocese, since, due to his heart health, he stayed and was treated in Phoenix , USA [2] . His vicar, who in fact governs the diocese, caused criticism in church circles because of pro-Catholic actions [3] .
In response to this decision, Metropolitan Simeon circulated protest letters, but arriving in Sofia at the invitation of the Synod on December 21, 2009, announced that he was subject to the decision of the church authorities.
The liberation of Western Europe provoked protests in their diocese and a broad discussion with a touch of scandal in the Bulgarian press. Upon returning to the Western European Diocese, Metropolitan Simeon again took a conflict position. On February 23, 2010, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church threatened Metropolitan Simeon with an eruption from the dignity, if he did not agree with the decision to release the pulpit and write a penitential letter to the Synod. At the same time, it became known that 21 priests of the Western European Diocese created an “initiative committee” and negotiated with the Cabinet of the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew about the transfer to his jurisdiction together with Metropolitan Simeon [4] .
On April 20, 2010, Metropolitan Simeon was banned in the ministry for disobeying the Synod and attempting to non-canonically transfer to the jurisdiction of another local Church.
On June 8 of the same year, the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church decided to leave the head of the Western and Central European chair, Metropolitan Simeon, which means that the ban was lifted from the ministry. The vote of the Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim was decisive in the voting on this issue: 7 bishops voted for and 7 against. At the same time, the metropolitans Starozagorsky Galaktion (Tabakov) , Lovchansky Gabriel (Dinev) and Plevensky Ignatius (Dimov) refused to sign the final decision of the Synod.
At the same time, Metropolitan Simeon was appointed Vicar - Bishop Anthony of Constantine (Mikhalev) , who de facto became the head of the diocese; He also represented the diocese in Orthodox episcopal meetings.
On June 11, 2013, by the decision of the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, he retired for health reasons [1] .
He died on April 16, 2016 in Phoenix , Arizona, USA [1] [5] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://bulchurch.org/upokoisee-vodogodovogovopisokopreo/
- ↑ Decisions on the Svetiy Synod on Bulgarskata Orthodox Church from the meeting on 1st December 2009
- ↑ http://news.bnt.bg/bg/a/19083-bpc_e_zaplashena_ot_razkol_zaradi_otstranjavaneto_na_mitropolit_simeon
- “Western European Metropolitan Simeon is threatened with eruption from the dignity” // Orthodoxy . BG , February 28, 2010
- ↑ https://www.romfea.gr/patriarxeia-ts/patriarxeio-boulgarias/7666-ekoimithi-o-proin-dutikis-kai-kentrikis-europis-sumeon