Today around noon, the election for the Bulgarian Patriarch took place, shortly after the ballots were counted, Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin received the most votes in the runoff, making him the new Bulgarian Patriarch.
69 votes for Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin, 66 votes for Metropolitan Grigoriy of Vraca and 3 invalid votes after the counting of the second round. A total of 138 delegates participated in the vote.
The new Bulgarian Patriarch is Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin.
Congratulations to His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Mr. Daniil.
Who is the new Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil?
Atanas Trendafilov Nikolov was born on March 2, 1972 in Smolyan. He completed primary and secondary education in his hometown. In 1996, he enrolled and studied English Philology at the University of St. Kliment Ohridski“, and the following year he transferred his education to the Faculty of Theology at the same university. In 1997, he was accepted as a novice in the Hadjidim monastery „St. Saint George“ under the spiritual guidance of the late Metropolitan Natanail of Nevrokop. On August 7, 1999, he was ordained a monk by him, and the next day he was ordained as a hierodeacon.
In 2002, he graduated from the Theological Faculty of the „St. Kliment Ohridski“. On 21.07.2004, he was sent for obedience to the Rozhensky Monastery „Nativity of the Virgin“. On November 27 of the same year, he was ordained a hieromonk by his diocesan bishop.
On 01.06.2006 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. By decision of St. Synod on 20.01.2008 he was ordained as a bishop with the title of Dragovitiyski in the PCKSHP „St. Alexander Nevsky“ and appointed vicar of the Nevrokop Metropolitan. He remained so until 15.06.2010, when at the request of the Metropolitan of the USA, Canada and Australia, Joseph was appointed as his vicar, a position he held until February 4, 2018, when he was canonically elected Metropolitan of Vidin by the Holy Synod.