Patriarch Daniil banned Archimandrite Nicanor (Mishkov) from serving the Liturgy for a month. The ban was imposed after 38 children from Sumy, Ukraine, visited the Tsarnogorsky Monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian, where Fr. Nicanor has been abbot for many years.
This was reported by the archimandrite on social media.
“I received a ‘well-deserved reward’ for taking in Ukrainian children. We will continue our work,” commented the clergyman on the situation.
Shortly afterward, the Sofia Metropolis of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church announced on its website that a ban on serving would last for 15 days, according to the Bulgarian publication OFFnews.
"At first glance, the children are like all others — they laugh, play, and joke. However, we can only guess what is in their hearts. One of the youngest boys, upon seeing the broken paving slabs, asked me if they were damaged by a bomb. I didn’t find it funny that our sidewalks look like they’ve been bombed. Camps for children have been held at the Tsarnogorsky Monastery every year since 2012, but this year we were able to provide shelter for children who have survived the horrors of real war, marked by great destruction and death," Fr. Nicanor said about their stay in Bulgaria.
During a meeting of the Diocesan Council, Fr. Nicanor reported that the Patriarch penalized him due to a lack of accounting activities. This became the official reason for prohibiting him from serving.
"I explained to him that I arrived at a barren field, where everything you see today at the Tsarnogorsky Monastery was built from nothing. I found no accounting records from the previous abbot, nor did I receive any documents or assets from him upon his departure. Additionally, no one from the Sofia Metropolis ever instructed me to engage in accounting. If I had been asked, I would have said they should handle it themselves; neither then nor now do I have the time or resources to manage such things. In 2003, I became a monk, not an accountant! What has been accomplished is visible and tangible. If anyone has complaints, they are welcome to take them to court," explained the current abbot of the Tsarnogorsky Monastery.
Archimandrite Nicanor emphasizes that he has not committed any canonical violations. This situation arises amidst an audit of the monastery by the Sofia Metropolis. Nicanor adds that even if he once held respect for the Patriarch, it is now lost. He claims to be serving his punishment with great joy. “We parted on polite terms. I hope for a final separation from them — both in this life and the next!” he declares resolutely.
"There are other disciplinary actions for my violation, not an 'argos' (a ban on serving, ed.). However, in the Sofia Metropolis, there are almost no people who are both canonically and administratively knowledgeable, so I accept the situation as it is. Let them give me a vacation!
Regarding my salary, to the best of my knowledge, the Patriarch has no authority to terminate my state subsidy without a decision from the Holy Synod. I will file a complaint about this and demand my money, especially since it is cold and we need it for the monastery's pellets.
There has been an outcry about the pure wax candles we sell, with complaints about not receiving half of the income. I told them that I serve in a church, not a business corporation, and that they should direct their complaints to the new abbot after me, “Mr. Cash.”
AND NO, IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE UKRAINIAN CHILDREN IN THE MONASTERY. IT'S A COMPLETE COINCIDENCE, Fr. Nicanor wrote on social media, referring to the radio station Govorit Moskva (Moscow Speaks).
It should be noted that in the summer of 2025, Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil, in an interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on the first anniversary of his reign, stated that he does not recognize the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) due to the violence, seizure of churches, and killings of priests associated with it.
He assured that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, along with ten other Local Orthodox Churches, does not recognize the OCU under the leadership of Metropolitan Epifaniy, which was granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He noted that “the churches transferred to the OCU remain empty.” In doing so, he reiterated the typical narratives circulated by the Russian Orthodox Church's propaganda.