Elder Dobry from Bulgaria - Sacred Mission

  

With his authentic clothes, sandals and homespun clothes, with his long white hair and a beard the grandfather is perceived by many as a traveler from the past. He looks more like the most ascetic saint of the Bulgarian Church St. Ivan Rilski than a contemporary of immorality and corruption. He seemed to come from ancient times in different manners when mercy and faith had a sound basis.

Meanwhile, Elder Dodry is a good traveler … from the future in the literal sense and he does not stop jetting between his home village and other places to continue his righteous case in support of the church and spirituality. While he was young Dobry Dobrev regularly traveled the distance from Bajlovo to Sofia on foot. It exceeds 25 kilometers. 

But he can not rely on his legs and uses a bus. As many know him well, drivers often does not even want him money for a ticket. He often relies on the generosity of passers-by to secure the necessary food for the day. In the summer Elder Dobry is often seen to eat a ripe watermelon.

Sacred Mission

In recent years Elder Dobry most often goes to the church of “St. Alexander Nevski” and the church of”Holy Seven Saints” in Sofia. He collects money needed for the restoration of the church of “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Baylivi – 10 000 Levs. Has made donations for the renovation of the churches in Kalofer and Poibrene. 

The old man had given 25000 leva to the Eleshnishkiya monastery and the church in Gorno Kamartsi for their restoration. The

largest contribution, however, which helps to promote the work of the saint from Bajlovo, is undoubtedly for the temple-monument of “St. Alexander Nevsky.” But the unbearable amount of 35 000 lev the good old man has collected for years to be donated to the largest Christian church in the country. 

This happened in May 2009 when the old man found the secretary of the church board Stefan Kalaidjiev and shared his intention to make a big donation. It turns out that the money, penny by penny was payed in a bank branch in Novi Iskar by a close relative of his.. They went to town and began to enter any office of a credit institution to find out where the donation was kept. Just with one signature the temple received the largest donation in its history.

According to Stefan Kalaidjiev ,the average annual amount donated from people visiting the temple is 2000-2500 leva. The money is collected primarily around various holidays.The good grandfather donated his money for renovation and covering the throne in “Al. Nevsky” with gold again. New clothes and curtains were bought and a leak was done. 

As an expression of gratitude some people from the church headed by a preist called Tikhon visited the humble home of the ascetic from Bajlovo and offered their assistance for the purchase of some furniture essentials.The Saint of Bajlovo however refused everything.

The above mentioned donations are only a part of the famous ones. The rest are available to him, for whose glory it is collected. With the gifts the good Elder gives he can be compared with another one well known but unreal old man – Santa Claus. Elder Dobry does not take the children bears, dolls and trucks but gives them his example, transmits them hope to become a more honorable and spiritually uplifted people.

And who does not believe in Santa Claus can believe in the good old man. It means to believe in goodness.

Bulgaria: Bishop of Plovdiv, Nikolay - Surrogate motherhood is no different from prostitution

 

Surrogate motherhood is no different from prostitution, according to Bishop Nikolay, the radical Bulgarian Orthodox Bishop of Plovdiv.

Speaking after a service in Plovdiv on the occasion of the arrival of holy relics of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the parents of Virgin Mary, Nikolay mentioned surrogacy while commenting on a recent case in which Bulgarian heroin-addicts offered their newborn baby "on sale" in an online forum for EUR 5 000.

"Two days after I reminded the position of the Holy Synod [of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church] about surrogate motherhood, and I was duly abused, the media exploded with the news that a child was offered for sale on the Internet. All were indignant. But I am asking, what is the difference between the sale of this child, and the future legal surrogate mothers?" the bishop stated, referring to changes in the Bulgarian legislation, as cited by Darik Plovdiv.

Bishop Nikolay went on to quote the Bulgarian-Bulgarian dictionary on the meaning of "surrogate" as an "inadequate replacement".

"The child [of a surrogate mother] will not be a child, it will be an inferior product," he argued.

"If we now accept surrogacy, how can we reject prostitution, procuring, human trafficking? What are our arguments against these things because the principle is the same – doing business and freedom of agreement?" the Plovdiv Bishop said.

On August 15, Dormition of Mary, Bishop Nikolay spurred public debate after declaring that surrogate motherhood and celibacy are sins, and urging a crackdown on corruption in the adoption of children.