The remarkable writer Yordan Radichkov, welcomed the Pope at the meeting with distinguished intellectuals, artists and scientists with a short speech at Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture. The writer was on the right side of the stage, about twenty metres away from the Pope, who sat in a grand arm chair on the left side of the stage. Before taking his place on the stage His Holiness rang a special bell, a gift for him from the Bulgarian children. Ivan Garuelov, chairman of the committee that organized the visit of the Pope in Bulgaria opened the concert. The Pope, looking rather frail and tired, began reading his speech in the beginning but later was replaced by his teacher in Bulgarian, Father Peter. The Pope said that he thanked from the bottom of his heart to all who made possible his visit to Bulgaria. “I am happy to meet with you, representatives of science, art and culture. I realize how important is your example for the establishment of a society, where understanding rules,” Pope John Paul II said in his address to the distinguished Bulgarian intellectuals in the National Palace of Culture. The Pope insisted on the organization of this particular meeting a lot before his arrival to Bulgaria. Performances of Teodosii Spasov (kaval), Mincho Minchev ( violin), opera singers Alexandrina Pendachanska and Tsvetelina Uzunova, The Mystery of the Bulgarian voices, Philip Kutev ensemble and Joan Kukuzel choir and the choir of the Bulgarian National Television were included in the concert. At the end of the concert all artists went on stage together for the hymn of the Saints.