Bulgarians bid farewell to Orthodox Patriarch Neophyte

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians have lined the streets of Sofia to bid farewell to the late Orthodox Patriarch Neophyte. The spiritual leader of Bulgaria’s Orthodox Christians died on Wednesday at the age of 78 after a long illness. Neophyte, who became patriarch in 2013, was the first elected head of the Bulgarian church after the fall of communism in 1989. His charisma as a modest and well-tempered leader won him respect among the faithful. Neophyte’s funeral in the capital Sofia on Saturday drew religious and political leaders, as well as ordinary Bulgarians who recalled him fondly.