Sofia prosecutors appeal court ruling on Old Calendar church

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has announced that it is appealing against the Sofia City Court's refusal to terminate the registration of the Bulgarian Old Calendar Orthodox Church (BOCOC).

The appeal states that the Law Amending and Supplementing the Religious Denominations Act requires all religious denominations in Bulgaria to apply to register any change to their name containing the word 'Orthodox' or derivatives thereof. The Old Calendar Church did not comply with this requirement by the deadline. Consequently, the prosecutor's office and the Directorate of Religious Denominations at the Council of Ministers have filed requests for the termination of the BOCOC's registration, as reported by BTA.

On 16 December 2024, the Supreme Court of Cassation registered the Bulgarian Old Calendar Orthodox Church following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights. On 31 January 2025, parliament adopted the amendments to the Religious Denominations Act cited by the prosecutor's office.