The parliament adopted changes to the Law on Religions on second reading, reports "Focus". The bill that the deputies voted on today was general. Proposals for changes were prepared by the parliamentary groups of GERB-SDF, "Vazrazhdane" and "BSP-United Left".
With the changes, the deputies wrote that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the only expression of Eastern Orthodoxy in our country. In addition, they created a new text in the law, which states that religious communities that are established in the country cannot use the word "Orthodox" in its name, as well as derivatives or similar words expressing the meaning in contradiction with Art. 10, para. 1 of the law.
This means that the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Style Church must remove the word "Orthodox" from its name, so as not to be deleted from the register of religious denominations in our country.
The legislators specified that when applying for registration of a religious community in our country, the Sofia City Court must request an expert opinion from the "Religious Denominations" Directorate of the Council of Ministers.
Within two months of the law's entry into force, registered religious denominations are obliged to change their name and statutes so that they do not contradict the law. After that, they must apply for a change for entry in the register of religious denominations. If this does not happen within the specified timeframe, the Sofia City Court must terminate the pending initial registration proceedings.