Patriarch Maxim (1914-2012)

In the night of 5 November 2012 at the age of 98 died the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) - Maxim of Bulgaria. Patriarch Maxim died shortly before 4 am in the Sofia Hospital Lozenets. His death was confirmed by the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. "God take and have mercy on his soul and our beloved and esteemed first hierarch, His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim," the statement said. The death of the patriarch was reported by Reuters, AFP, Washington Post and ITAR-TASS. AFP wrote that Patriarch Maxim was the longtime priest of the Orthodox Christians in Europe. Maxim was born on October 29, 1914 in Oreshak, Troyan, the son of Pena Bordzhukova and Nayden Minkov Rachev. He was baptized with the name Marin Naydenov Minkov. Received his primary education in his native village, and only twelve year-old was admitted a novice in the Troyan Monastery. On 13 December 1941, the final year of his studies, he became a monk by the Lovech Metropolitan Filaret. Maxim assumed the name in honor of St. Maxim the Confessor – a VII century saint, glorified with strong faith and Orthodox confession. On March 7, 1971 Patriarch Kirill died on July 4 Patriarch Maxim was elected as the new patriarch. Maxim is Honorary Doctor of the Theological Academy at St. Kliment Ohridski in Sofia and an honorary member of the Moscow Theological Academy. For his 90th birthday in 2004 President Georgi Parvanov awarded Patriarch Maxim with the Order of Stara Planina - first degree.