Minority denominations with fewer than 3,000 members would not be allowed to legally register, under a planned amendment to the country’s Religious Denominations Act.
Mark Jeffrey, a missionary in Exeter who regularly visits Bulgaria with his wife to preach in churches, said the clause could be used to target smaller Protestant churches which are already registered.
Mr Jeffrey, who first visited Bulgaria ten years ago, told Premier: “It will make it impossible to continue legally.
“It will basically take the Church back to Communist days… the Church will have to go underground which most people would have thought would be impossible to see in modern Europe.”
BULGARIA: Bulgarian lawmakers concede some restrictions in a new Religion Denominations Act after international pressure and intensive protests. A new constraint however threatens the legal existence of many denominations. An in-depth analysis:https://t.co/htueHKC89T
— Evangelical Focus (@Evan_Focus) November 22, 2018
Following objections and protests from various faith groups in Bulgaria, the proposals – which are intended to tackle radical Islam – have already been watered down. The Baptist World Alliance and the World Evangelical Alliance have been among those to highlight their concerns.
It is understood the original version would have prevented foreign church leaders from conducting religious services…
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