Gheorghi Ivanov Jovcev

The Most Reverend Gheorghi Ivanov Jovcev
Bishop of Sofia-Plovdiv
Native name	Георги Иванов Йовчев
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Diocese	Sofia-Plovdiv
See	Sofia-Plovdiv
Appointed	13 November 1995
Predecessor	Bogdan Stefanov Dobranov
Orders
Ordination	9 May 1976 by Bogdan Stefanov Dobranov
Consecration	31 July 1988 by Francesco Colasuonno
Personal details
Birth name	Gheorghi Ivanov Jovcev
Born	(1950-05-06) 6 May 1950 (age 71) Sekirovo, Rakovski, Bulgaria
Previous post(s)	Titular Bishop of Lamphua (1988-95) Apostolic Administrator of Sofia-Plovdiv (1988-95)

Gheorghi Ivanov Jovcev (Bulgarian: Георги Иванов Йовчев) (born May 6, 1950, in Sekirovo, a part of the town of Rakovski, Bulgaria) is the current Bulgarian Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv.

Early life and education[]

Gheorghi Ivanov Jovcev was educated at Professional School of Agriculture in Belozem where he studied internal combustion engines. His military service was in Sofia. Because of the Communist regime, he secretly prepared for the priesthood, being parish priest in Plovdiv, Rakovski, Kaloyanovo, Duvanlii and Zhitnitsa.

Religious career[]

On May 9, 1976, Jovcev was ordained Catholic priest by Bishop Bogdan Dobranov. He studied theology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, Italy.

On July 6, 1988, Jovcev became Apostolic Administrator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv and Titular Bishop of Lamphua. On July 31, 1988, he was consecrated bishop by Archbishop Francesco Colasuonno, Bishop Samuel Dzhundrin, AA and Exarch Methodius Stratiev, AA at Cathedral of St Louis, Plovdiv.

On November 13, 1995, he was appointed bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv. Jovcev is a member of the Episcopal Conference of Bulgaria. In the Episcopal Conference of Bulgaria is the chairman of various committees, including Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Tip for Families, Council for Secular Parties and Council Catechism.

Awards[]

Jovcev was awarded with the Grand Cross of the Order pro merito Melitensi, from the Order of Malta, on 19 June 2009 in the city of Rakovski, Bulgaria.^[1]

Collaboration with Communist regime's secret service[]

In 2012, Bishop Jovcev was charged that in 1987 he was recruited by the Bulgarian secret service. Jovcev called all these accusations as slander.^[2]

References[]

External links[]

• http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bjovcev.html ^{[self-published source]}