Skopje, 17 March 2025 (MIA) - Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil has held a telephone conversation with Archbishop Stefan on Sunday, expressing his most sincere condolences on the tragic event in Kochani that killed over 50 people and left more than 150 injured.

"Patriarch Daniil assured his brother that Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria pray with all their hearts for the repose of the souls of the deceased, for comfort for their loved ones and for a speedy recovery for all those injured. The pain and suffering that our brothers and sisters from North Macedonia are experiencing at this moment are at the same time our pain and our suffering," the Bulgarian Patriarch said, as cited by the Bulgarian Patriarchy. 

Archbishop Stefan has thanked the Orthodox Christians of the fraternal Bulgarian Orthodox Church for their sympathy and prayers at this tragic moment for North Macedonia.

"May, through the prayers of our heavenly protector and intercessor, the Most Holy Lady Theotokos, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant gracious strength, courage, faith and hope to our Macedonian brothers and sisters in this terrible ordeal," reads the press release. 

Photo: Bulgarian Patriarchy