Patriarch Neophyte, leader of Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church, dies at 78

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria, who was the first elected head of the Orthodox Church in the post-communist Balkan country, died at a hospital in Sofia. He was 78. The Orthodox Holy Synod said in a statement that the patriarch had been hospitalized for four months for lung ailments. The Holy Synod of 15 senior clergy will choose an interim patriarch until a larger church council picks Patriarch Neophyte’s successor within the next four months, church officials said.