Controversial Bulgarian Archimandrite Nikanor Tried to Draw the Vatican into a Scheme to Elect the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (Part One)

Hristo Mishkov, better known as Father Nikanor, demanded the resignation of Patriarch Daniel. The reason is that, while serving as Metropolitan of Sofia, the primate refused to sign Mishkov’s letter of dismissal until he submitted all accounting documents for an audit of the enormous sums allocated through various channels to the Gigin Monastery.

An audio recording sheds light on a phone conversation initiated by Hristo Mishkov, in which he lobbies on behalf of Metropolitan Naum of Ruse while simultaneously speaking ill of other bishops.

Archimandrite Nikanor (born Hristo Mishkov) attempted to involve the Vatican in exerting pressure on Bulgarian politicians and metropolitans in order to influence the election of the Patriarch and tip the scales in favor of a very specific bishop.

This becomes clear from a recording of a telephone conversation sent to the editorial office of the newspaper “24 Hours.”

Mishkov is lobbying for the candidacy of Metropolitan Naum of Ruse, who was one of the nine hierarchs eligible for election as Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. In the conversation, the archimandrite explains that he is recommending Naum because he “best aligns with Vatican policy and is close to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.”

At the same time, Nikanor openly speaks ill of the metropolitans of the Holy Synod and also draws politicians Boyko Borisov and Delian Peevski into his scheme, and refers to himself as “a strategist at headquarters who says what needs to happen.”

Nikanor’s scandalous conversation took place sometime in the second half of March 2024; the initiative came from the archimandrite, and for most of the time, he is the only one speaking. The person Mishkov is speaking with is a representative of the Roman Curia who, at one time, was a missionary in Bulgaria and therefore understands and speaks Bulgarian very well. The editorial staff of “24 Hours” contacted him and received confirmation that such a conversation did indeed take place.

When we also reached out to Nikanor for comment, he answered “no” when asked whether such a conversation had taken place. “I don’t know who you’re talking about; I think you’re confusing me with someone else. I get the feeling you want to line my pockets with money. Sounds good. Anything else?” said the archimandrite, after which he ended the conversation.

The plan that Mishkov tried to propose to the Vatican in the period following Patriarch Neofit’s death consists, in broad terms, of influencing Metropolitan Nikolai of Plovdiv. According to Nikanor, the election of Gregory of Vratsa would mean that Nikolai of Plovdiv would govern the entire Church. Therefore, Mishkov suggests that the Catholic representative, “while there is still time” after Easter, take gifts from the Pope to Metropolitan Nikolay in Plovdiv and thus influence him to support the candidacy of Naum of Ruse.

The next move proposed by Archimandrite Nikanor is to put pressure on Nikolai of Plovdiv through “figures in the government”—the politicians Boyko Borisov and Delian Peevski.
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