Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I met with Interior Minister Rumen Petkov during his visit to Bulgaria. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I met Thursday with Bulgaria's Interior Minister Rumen Petkov and the orphans of police officers killed in action.
At the meeting, the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world invited the children to visit Constantinople, confessing later that it was one of the most moving meetings on his travels abroad.
The Patriarch wished the children strong faith, bravery and love. "When one loves, they see life differently", he said.
Patriarch Bartholomew I arrived for a two-day visit to the country on Wednesday at the invitation of the Holy Synod. He was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa by the Sofia University of Library Studies and met with senior government officials and clergy.