Bulgarian Bishop donates his Rolex to pay church’s electricity bills
An Orthodox Bishop in Bulgaria offered to pay the church’s electricity bills with his Rolex watch.
A top Bulgarian bishop has offered his Rolex and Lincoln car to pay for the struggling church's electricity bills.
Bulgaria's Orthodox Church is struggling to pay its bills after hikes in the cost of electricity.
This despite the Church being the largest private property owner in the country, said AFP.
The personal items are being donated by Metropolitan, Nikolai, a Bishop in Plovdiv, to Saint Marina church, which has been threatened with a power cut due to outstanding bills, reported the Sofia Globe.
(Metropolitan is a term used in the Orthodox church to denote the rank of a church official who is the bishop of a region or city)
"Plovdiv Metropolitan Nikolai has offered one of his few personal objects, a Rolex watch, to the Saint Marina church, requesting that it be sold so that the electricity bill can be paid," said the church, reported AFP.
The cost of electricity in Bulgaria has spiked over the winter.
The jump in prices has even forced the resignation of the country's prime minister.
The Sofia Globe reported that the Metropolitan Nikolai, 43, is no stranger to controversy.
He is known for his luxurious taste, his savvy PR skills and his comment that recent deaths of holiday makers who drowned in a nearby lake was punishment for bringing Madonna to the country for a concert.
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