Bulgaria's newly elected Patriarch is Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin

Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin was elected the new Patriarch of Bulgaria by an electoral sssembly held in Sofia on June 30.

138 out of 140 delegates voted.

Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin won 69 votes in the second round of voting.

Metropolitan Grigory of Vratsa came second with 66 votes.

There were 3 invalid ballots.

Metropolitans Grigory of Vratsa, Daniil of Vidin, and Gavriil of Lovchan were selected to form the triprosopon, from which the new Patriarch of Bulgaria was chosen.

The individuals who were to be elected as the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia were required to meet the following criteria: they must be a serving diocesan Metropolitan of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, be at least 50 years old, have governed a diocese as a Metropolitan for at least five years, and be distinguished by sound Orthodox faith and strict adherence to church order.

Who is Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin - Bulgaria's new Patriarch?

Athanasios Triantafyllou Nikolov was born in Smolyan,Southern Bulgaria on March 2, 1972. He finished primary and secondary school in his hometown. In 1996, he was enrolled at Sofia University to study English Philology, but the following year he switched to the Theology Faculty of the university.

In 1997, he was admitted as a novice to the St George Monastery near Hadzhidimovo in the southwest of the country, and placed under the guidance of Metropolitan Natanail of Nevrokop. On August 7, 1999, Natanail gave him monastic tonsure, and the next day Daniil was ordained as a hierodeacon.

In 2002, he graduated from the Theology Faculty of Sofia University.

On July 21, 2004, he was sent to the Rozhen Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God (Southern Bulgaria), where he took the vow of obedience. On November 27 of that year, the diocesan prelate ordained him as a hieromonk.

On June 1, 2006, he received the title of Archimandrite.

By decision of the Holy Synod, on January 20, 2008, he was ordained titular Bishop of Dragovitia and was appointed auxiliary Bishop of the Metropolitan of Nevrokop. He held the position until June 15, 2010, when he was appointed vicar to the BOC Metropolitan of the United States, Canada and Australia at the latter's request.

On February 4, 2018, Daniil was elected Metropolitan of Vidin.

Security measures will be introduced in central Sofia for the enthronement of the newly elected Bulgarian Patriarch