Bulgarian Socialist Leader Expelled

With over 100 votes at today’s meeting of the National Council of the BSP, they expelled the resigned leader of the party, Kornelia Ninova. She was at the head of the formation for eight years. The decision was supported by 105 votes “for”, 16 “against” and four abstained.

Along with Ninova, Georgi Svilenski, Ivan Chenchev and Krum Donchev were excluded from the left formation. There are seven reasons for the release of Ninova and her three party members. Among the main reasons for their exclusion is non-compliance with the decision from which constituency Ninova and Svilenski should run for parliament.

„ Legally, we are in absolute precedent – a chairman who is expelled from the party but is chairman by court order. Give us time to think about the situation. Our efforts must be aimed at the BSP’s appearance in the elections,” said the resigned leader Ninova. She added that they refused to vote by roll call at the plenum.

Gheorgi Svilenski said that the agenda of the National Council of the party consisted of two points – about the current situation and about the domestic political order. “For the second point, the reasons for imposing punishments on the four should have been read – to Cornelia Ninova, to me, to Ivan Chenchev and to Krum Donchev. There were no reasons for this decision and Zafirov’s answer to Donchev was: “In principle”. Donchev is excluded “in principle”. This decision was made between 65 and 70 people, and people who are not members of the National Council were also present in the hall, Svilenski said, adding that he had asked the presenter Christian Vigenin three times to check the quorum, but he had refused.

In his words, the procedure for Ninova’s exclusion is not the same as the steps for the release of other party members. “She was elected chairman of the party by 57,000 socialists”, he added.

Ninova explained that on the one hand she wants to leave the leadership post, on the other hand her fellow party members want her resignation. “This can only be done in Congress, they refused to call Congress, they refused to let me in. They will keep me here as a hostage to legitimize their iniquities. I have given a power of attorney to Georgi Svilenski and Ivan Chenchev, they will participate in the registration of the lists, she added.

Patriarch Maxim, Eastern Orthodox Church Leader of Bulgaria, Dies at 98

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria, who weathered a revolt over his Communist-era ties to lead his country’s Orthodox Christians for more than 40 years, died here on Tuesday. He was 98. Patriarch Maxim’s tenure as the church’s leader bridged Bulgaria’s transition from Communism.

Orthodox Christianity is Bulgaria’s dominant religion, followed by more than 80 percent of the country’s 7.4 million people. Patriarch Maxim’s tenure as the church’s leader bridged the country’s transition from Communism, and he withstood efforts to oust him by the new democratic government and by rebel priests who saw him as a Communist ally. Born Marin Naidenov Minkov on Oct. 29, 1914, he graduated from the Sofia Seminary in 1935 and entered Sofia University’s theology department in 1938, before rising through the church ranks to be named patriarch on July 4, 1971.

After the collapse of Communism in 1989, Bulgaria’s new democratic government sought to replace Communist-appointed figureheads, including the patriarch. The church split between supporters of Patriarch Maxim and breakaway clergymen, who tried to oust him and then formed their own synod. The division plunged the church into turmoil, with church buildings being occupied, priests breaking into fistfights on church steps, and water cannons and tear gas being turned on rebel bishops to clear the main St. Alexander Nevsky cathedral in Sofia. For more than a decade the two synods existed side by side. The schism ended in 2010, when the head of the alternative synod called for healing and the synod was dissolved.

Patriarch Maxim was hailed for meeting with Pope John Paul II during the pontiff’s visit to Sofia in 2002, a trip seen as warming the frosty relationship between the Orthodox Church and the Vatican. The Holy Synod of 13 senior clergy members will choose an interim patriarch until a larger Church Council is held within four months to pick Patriarch Maxim’s successor, church officials said.

Missionary Leader Lovell Cary Passes

FaithNews Networks: February 28, 2012–Lovell R. Cary, 83, veteran Church of God missionary and denominational leader, passed away last night, Monday, February 27, in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Cary is best known for his leadership of Church of God World Missions as Assistant Director for eight years and as General Director for eight years. Since 2004, he has served as a Missionary Evangelist. He also served eight years on the International Executive Council.

Cary accepted his first appointment to missions in 1954, when he went to Hawaii. In 1959, he moved to the Philippines and later served as Field Director of Asia Pacific for 20 years.

Current General Director of World Missions Rev. Douglas LeRoy said of Dr. Cary, “He has introduced Christ to thousands, and his Christian life and global passion have impacted the world. He was known as an effective preacher of the gospel and as ‘Mr. Missions.’” Cary’s biography, Nothing to Win but the World, sums up his life as a missionary statesman.

Lovell and his wife, Ginny, were married for 65 years. They have two daughters – Sharon and Susie – three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

• Historically a Missions-Minded Body, the Church Of God Still Gathers the Worldwide Harvest
• Where We Have Come From and Where We Are Going