Bulgarian evangelicals have asked for prayer in the face of a new religion bill that threatens a draconian clampdown on minority faiths. The bill has passed its first reading through parliament and they have warned its impact on all faith communities will be serious if it becomes law. The Bulgarian parliament is set to pass a law severely impacting on freedom of religion. In a letter to the European Evangelical Alliance, the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance (BEA) said the new law represents an infringement on religious liberty. The letter from BEA president Pastor Rumen Bordjiev says: ‘By intending to control donations, to interfere with theological education and to install state regulations on issues of clergy responsibilities, the Bulgarian state is wrongly assuming power into the internal life of religious communities. Almost every single article in the newly proposed bills erroneously and unfairly claims political authority over religious life.’ According to the BEA, the new law means Bulgarian citizens will only be able to carry out ‘liturgical activity’ if they have had theological training in Bulgaria or their foreign school is approved, and that only Eastern Orthodox and Muslim believers will be able to train clergy and run schools. Foreigners will […]
