Patriarch Maxim turned 98 on Monday. A thanksgiving service for the health of the Patriarch was held during a mass in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to mark the occasion. Special masses for the health of the head of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria were officiated in all orthodox churches in the country.

At present, Maxim is resting in the Government Hospital under doctor's orders. The oldest spiritual leader in the whole Christian world received greeting cards from almost every Bulgarian statesman and a number of politicians.

"The Church is our spiritual pillar. I always pray for one thing – health and for good to prevail. I pray that our beloved Patriarch has many more days ahead of him to keep our Church united and strong. And I really hope that his success in this regard will be preserved in the future. We need the Church to guide our way, to help us reach inner peace and believe, and give us strength," President Rosen Plevneliev told journalists after attending the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral mass.