The Right to Information in the Church

Abstract

The time in which we live presupposes easy and broad access to information. This circumstance also affects church life. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church makes active use of media channels to provide information related to its activities. This necessitates a proper understanding and prudent use of the available means for publicizing the decisions, initiatives, and work of our lo- cal Church. In this sense, it is necessary to review the requirements of the Statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate (Statute of the BOC–BP) concerning the right to information. The article offers an analysis of the provisions that require the publicity of the acts of the individ- ual organs of church authority. The emphasis is placed on the normatively established obligation to publish these acts. In this connection, several examples are examined that illustrate the realization of the right to information and the manner of its functioning, while certain deviations from the lawful exercise of this right are also noted, with a view to their prevention and timely correction. The effect that the right to information—and its neglect—produces on the organizational life of the BOC–BP is also underscored.