Daniil of Bulgaria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Holiness Daniil |
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Daniil in 2024
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| Native name | Даниил |
| Church | Bulgarian Orthodox Church |
| See | Sofia |
| Enthroned | 30 June 2024 |
| Predecessor | Neophyte |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 27 November 2004 |
| Consecration | 20 January 2008 |
| Rank | Patriarch |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Atanas Trendafilov Nikolov |
| Born | 2 March 1972 Smolyan, Bulgaria |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox Church |
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Patriarch Daniil (also spelled Daniel) is a very important leader in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. His full name is Atanas Trendafilov Nikolov. He was born on March 2, 1972. Since June 2024, he has been the Patriarch of All Bulgaria. This means he is the main spiritual leader for many people in Bulgaria. Before becoming Patriarch, he served as a Metropolitan Bishop in different areas.
Early Life and School
Atanas Trendafilov Nikolov was born in a town called Smolyan in Bulgaria. He went to school there for his primary and secondary education. After finishing school, he served in the military for a time.
In 1996, he started studying English at Sofia University. However, he soon decided to change his path. The next year, he moved to the Theology department at the same university. He studied there and graduated in 2002. Theology is the study of religious faith and practice.
Becoming a Bishop
On July 21, 2004, Daniel went to the Rozhen Monastery. A monastery is a place where monks live and worship. On November 27 of that year, he became a hieromonk. This is a monk who is also a priest. His local bishop helped him with this step.
Later, on June 1, 2006, he was given the title of archimandrite. This is a higher rank for a monk-priest. Then, on January 20, 2008, he became a bishop. He was known as the Bishop of Dragovitia. A bishop is a senior member of the Christian clergy, usually in charge of a diocese (a church district).
In 2010, Bishop Daniel was given more responsibilities. He was asked to help lead the Bulgarian Patriarchate's diocese in the US, Canada, and Australia. In 2018, he was chosen to be the Metropolitan of Vidin. A Metropolitan is a bishop who oversees several dioceses.
In December 2018, Metropolitan Daniel spoke about a meeting of Eastern Orthodox churches in Ukraine. He believed that some actions taken by another church leader, Patriarch Bartholomew, were not following the correct church rules. He felt that Patriarch Bartholomew was getting involved in another church's area without permission.
Becoming Patriarch
In March 2024, the previous Patriarch, Patriarch Neophyte, passed away. After a period of mourning, the church needed to choose a new leader. Metropolitan Daniel was one of three main candidates for this important role. The other candidates were Metropolitan Gregory of Vratsa and Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech.
On June 30, 2024, a special meeting was held in Sofia. This meeting, called the patriarchal electoral Church-People's Council, chose the new Patriarch. At this meeting, Metropolitan Daniel was elected as the new Patriarch of Bulgaria. He also became the Metropolitan of Sofia. This made him the highest spiritual leader of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
