Despite heavy opposition from Christian churches in Bulgaria, a new religion bill to protect the traditional Orthodox Church was passed last month.

Analysis of the new law indicates that the legislation requires minority religions to obtain court approval to operate in Bulgaria and denies recognition of breakaway Orthodox clergy opposed to Patriarch Maksim, head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarchate.

An objection to the bill was submitted to the National Assembly Dec. 4 by the Committee on Human Rights and Religions.

Religious minority leaders and human rights activists held a conference and protest meeting in December where they prepared a petition, undersigned by most registered denominations and given to parliament and the country’s president.

“But even this pressure led nowhere,” says Tzanko Lazarov, Adventist Church spokesman on the issue.

“We are concerned,” says John Graz, public affairs and religious liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide. “This bill is not in harmony with the international documents on religious freedom. It [gives] recognition and privileges to one church above others. A modern and democratic state should be neutral in religious matter.”

“It is an unconstitutional bill,” says Maurice Verfaillie, public affairs and religious liberty director for the Adventist Church in the Euro-Africa region. “I don’t know what will be the future in Bulgaria on this important issue. Surely it promises hard times, especially because this merely strengthened the position of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria.”

Some believe the provisions of the bill grant the Orthodox Patriarchate a position of primacy, and that there will be penalties for new religious offenses. “I can’t tell you how local officials will implement this law,” says Theodor Angelov, a Sofia-based pastor who heads the European Baptist Federation. The law still bears the imprint of Bulgaria’s Communist past, he says.

“We believe that it is the best interest of the state and of the people to protect religious freedom for all because every citizen is legal before the law and every one has the right to have or to not have a religion,” Graz adds. “Nobody should be penalized because his or her religion has not been recognized by the state or has been classified.”

Lachezar Toshev, chief of Bulgaria’s Commission for Human Rights and Denominations, plans to approach the Constitutional Court in mid February.