Patriarch Maxim dies after 4 decades at the top of Bulgaria's Orthodox Church at age of 98
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Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria, the spiritual leader of the Balkan country's Orthodox Christians, has died. He was 98.
The patriarch died early Tuesday at a Sofia hospital, the Holy Synod said in a statement. It said he was hospitalized one month ago suffering of fatigue.
Church officials did not say when a new patriarch would be chosen or who would serve as interim head of the church.
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Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religion in this Balkan country, followed by more than 80 percent of Bulgaria's 7.4 million people.