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

The Orthodox Holy Synod said Wednesday 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. Orthodox Christianity is Bulgaria’s dominant religion, followed by some 85 percent of the country’s 6.7 million people.

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