Bulgarian Foreign Minister: 'The State and the Church Have a Common Responsibility to Educate in Understanding, Tolerance and Love'

''The church plays an important role in the fight against hate speech. We should not allow the threat of violent extremism and radical Islam to result in hatred towards another religion or towards groups of people on an ethnical principle. Meanwhile, we are concerned with the rights of the Christians in the conflict zones'', Bulgaria's Deputy Primier for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva told Bulgaria's Patriarch Neophyte during their meeting at the Sofia Bishopric on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

"We highly appreciate the good cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said the Holy Synod, giving the example of the Bulgarian temple in Berlin, where a crisis center for assistance of Bulgarian citizens was built.

''Annually, between 1,000 and 1300 people are passing through this center and stay there for three days, after which they are assisted to return back to Bulgaria. This is possible thanks to the good coordination between the Crisis Center and the Bulgarian Consulate in Berlin, "the Holy Synod also added.

Minister Zaharieva and Patriarch Neophyte discussed topics related to the possibility for establishment of Bulgarian churches in countries with large Bulgarian communities.