Bulgarian Holy Synod supports mandatory religious education

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has expressed formal support for introducing ‘Virtues and Religion’ as a mandatory subject in the national school curriculum. During a meeting of the Parliamentary Commission on Education and Science, Bishop Gerasim of Melnik, General Secretary of the Holy Synod, presented the proposal to include religious studies in the mandatory section of the curriculum.

The proposal outlines three potential tracks: Orthodox Christianity, Islam, or a program focused on ethics and civic education. The Church argues that this approach balances the right to choice with the state's duty to provide spiritual and moral education. The goal, according to the Synod, is to provide basic religious literacy and systematic knowledge rather than indoctrination.

Key requests from the Church include the authority to approve curriculum programs for grades 1 through 12 to ensure theological accuracy. Additionally, the Synod advocates for religious studies to be a graded subject, similar to other mandatory courses, and suggests that teachers should hold recommendations from regional spiritual leadership. The legislative changes are currently undergoing review by the parliamentary commission.