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Memo by Dimiter Iliev, director
of denominations, to prime minister Georgi Dimitrov, January 6,
1949
"I have fulfilled the task you entrusted me by achieving numerous
successes in our efforts to manage and control the various denominations
in this country."
Central State Archive, vol. 15b,
index 4, quoted by Svetlozar Eldarov, Catholics in Bulgaria 1878-1989,
Sofia 2002
Translation from Bulgarian by Dr. Neli Hadjiyska
and Dr. Valentin Hadjiyski
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Memo by Dimiter Iliev, director
of denominations, to foreign minister Kimon Georgiev, November 17,
1947
"The Bulgarian Orthodox Church Department's important
mission is to guide the strengthening and further development of
the relations between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Russian
Orthodox Church, with the Yugoslav and other Orthodox Churches,
i.e. to assist, on an everyday and proactive basis that, through
the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Bulgaria stay forever in the anti-imperialist
and democratic camp under USSR's lead.
"The Protestant churches - Methodists, Congregationalists,
Pentecostalists, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists and Adventist
Reformers - function under the influence of the interests of American
foreign policy, the policy of the US, that leads today's imperialist
camp. There is no doubt the Department of Unorthodox Denominations,
while observing the regulations of the Constitution on the freedom
of conscience and denominations, and helping through its everyday
activity maintain normal political relations between the People's
Republic of Bulgaria and the US, should promote, and is in fact
promoting, a policy safeguarding against any enhancement of the
influence of Truman - Marshall through those religious residentures
and, furthermore, decreasing the ecclesiastical and political clout
of those churches supported by the US Department of State and the
American imperialists."
Central State Archive, vol. 165, index 3, a.e. 128,
quoted by Daniela Kanlkandjieva, The Bulgarian Orthodox Church and
the State 1944 - 1953, Sofia 1997
Translation from Bulgarian by Dr. Neli Hadjiyska
and Dr. Valentin Hadjiyski
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