Patriarch Neophyte of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan of Sofia, Neophyte, has passed away at the age of 78 after a prolonged illness, as announced by the Press Service of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.

"We call upon Orthodox Christians to join the Holy Orthodox Church in offering sincere prayers to the all-merciful God for the repose of the soul of our Patriarch in the Kingdom of God," stated the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's website.

Patriarch Neophyte reportedly passed away on March 13, 2024, at the Military Medical Academy Hospital in Sofia. The cause of death was multiple organ failure resulting from a prolonged illness.

The Patriarch had been in the hospital since November of the previous year, suffering from a lung ailment. The Bulgarian Patriarchate expressed gratitude in its statement to the doctors and medical staff of the intensive care unit "for their diligence and care provided to His Holiness the Patriarch."

Patriarch Neophyte, born Simeon Nikolov Dimitrov on October 15, 1945, in Sofia, was a graduate of the Cherepish Monastery Theological Seminary, Sofia Theological Seminary, and Moscow Theological Academy. He received the degree of Candidate of Theology for his work on "Moscow Synodal Direction in Russian Church Singing and Its Significance." Simultaneously, he completed the choir conducting department at the Moscow Theological Academy.

Returning to Sofia, he took monastic vows under the name Neophyte, taught church singing at the Sofia Theological Academy, and served as the conductor of the Sofia Priestly Choir. In 1985, he was consecrated as Bishop of Levkiy and became the second vicar of the Sofia Metropolis. Later, he was appointed rector of the Sofia Theological Academy, and after its transformation into the theological faculty of Sofia University on July 1, 1991, he became its first dean.

In 1992, Bishop Neophyte was appointed chief secretary of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. In 1994, he was elected Metropolitan of Dorostol and Cherven and later became the Metropolitan of Ruse after the division of the diocese in 2001.

On February 24, 2013, Neophyte was elected as the new Patriarch of Bulgaria during the Patriarchal Church-People's Assembly in Sofia. He was enthroned as Patriarch on the same day.