Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel has emphasized that the Church's primary mission is to lead people to God, while urging that remaining questions surrounding the autocephalous status of the Orthodox Church in North Macedonia be resolved through dialogue among the Orthodox Churches.

Speaking in an interview with the television program *Question of Measure*, the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said the most important achievement in recent years has been the restoration of full Eucharistic communion between the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the wider Orthodox world after decades of ecclesiastical isolation.

"The most important thing is that the wound caused by the break in church communion has already been healed," Patriarch Daniel said. "Questions regarding the recognition of autocephaly by individual Churches remain, but they should be resolved through dialogue and church diplomacy."

In 2022, the Serbian Orthodox Church granted autocephaly to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Since then, its status has been recognized by most of the world's autocephalous Orthodox Churches.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church had previously objected to the use of the historic title "Archbishopric of Ohrid" in the Macedonian Church's official name, arguing that the medieval Archbishopric of Ohrid occupies a central place in the historical heritage of the Bulgarian Church. After the Byzantine Empire conquered Bulgaria in the 11th century, Ohrid became the seat of the only remaining autonomous Bulgarian ecclesiastical authority for a time.

Today, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church recognizes the Macedonian Church's autocephalous status but maintains that outstanding issues should continue to be addressed through inter-Orthodox dialogue.

Patriarch Daniel also spoke about the broader role of the Church in society, stressing that charitable work, while important, must never replace its spiritual mission.

"The Church's principal calling is to bring people to God," he said, adding that social ministry should serve as an expression of the Church's faith rather than its primary purpose.

The patriarch noted that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church remains actively involved in charitable initiatives. According to him, parish churches in Sofia provide hot meals for approximately 200 people each day, while dioceses across the country operate church-run soup kitchens and organize free summer camps for children.

Among his priorities as patriarch, Daniel highlighted efforts to reintroduce the school subject *Virtues and Religion* into Bulgaria's education system. He argued that children should have the opportunity to study the foundations of Orthodox Christian culture and gain a deeper understanding of their country's history.

Asked about his personal goals as head of the Church, Patriarch Daniel said he is guided not by personal ambition but by a desire to strengthen church life, resolve challenges facing the Church, and encourage more people to embrace the Christian faith.

Concluding the interview, the patriarch said his daily prayers include petitions "for the peace of the whole world" and for God's protection against evil.

"The most important thing is to ask God to preserve people from evil so that it does not enter their hearts," he said.