In 1960 he was elected Metropolitan of Lovech on October 30, 1960, and during this time, despite the atmosphere of persecution under Todor Zhivkov, Maxim was able to win enough favour with the Politburo to be a certainty for election as Patriarch on July 4, 1971, after Patriarch Cyril died.
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He was born in Oreshak, the second of the two children of Nayden Minkov Rachev, but very little is known about his parents' background.
The late Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim was born there on October 29, 1914 and was buried there after his death in November 2012.
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