The Pope's Visit to Bulgaria: An Important Historic Event that the International Media Will Follow

Politics » DOMESTIC | April 3, 2019, Wednesday // 13:26
Bulgaria: The Pope's Visit to Bulgaria: An Important Historic Event that the International Media Will Follow

From 5th to 7th May, an important and historical event will take place here - the visit of Pope Francis in Bulgaria, who was elected six years ago as a Roman pope. He is the first Pope of the New World and the first Pope Jesuit, said the Vice-President of the National Religious Commission Vasil Antonov at the Pope Francis in Bulgaria Conference, organized by the Bulgarian Academy of Science and the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria.
 
In 2014, a popular magazine named Pope Francis as "the world's most influential leader," because of his reforms in the Vatican and the positive image he gives the church, Antonov said.

Vassil Antonov said that "Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria are about 6 million, Muslims are 780,000, Catholics are just over 80,000, and followers of Armenian church are over 10,000." In the time we live in, we need to deepen the theological dialogue and turn to Christian values ​​and messages, said the deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on religions.

 
Pope Francis will come to visit us in May to greet all Bulgarians, give them blessing and send their messages of peace and prosperity. This was what Monsignor Hristo Proikov said at the conference - an apostolic exarch and chairman of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria.

During the days of the Pope's visit to Bulgaria, Bulgaria will be the focus of the media from all over the world and as Bulgarians we will welcome it with the traditional Bulgarian hospitality, said Bishop Proykov. He recalled that the motto of Pope Francis' journey to Bulgaria was the title of Pope John 23's Encyclical, titled "Peace on Earth." This demonstrates the desire of Pope Francis to mark his visit to Bulgaria under the sign of peace that was so dear to Angelo Roncalli, ten years of apostolic legacy in Bulgaria, and then Pope John the 23rd, Bishop Hristo Proikov said.
 
He noted that the Bulgarians look forward to the visit of the Holy Father in Bulgaria and expressed confidence that it would leave a lasting trace of our spiritual life and history as well as the unforgettable visit of Pope John Paul II in 2002 in Bulgaria.

The Catholic community in Bulgaria expects with great joy the coming of the Holy Father and together with our people to accept his blessing and prayer for peace, said Bishop Hristo Proykov.
 
The key word of Pope Francis' visit to Bulgaria in May will be "peace" and then Bulgaria will be in the global focus. And during this visit, peace can flow from Bulgaria and the whole world to see it, said Solomon Passy, ​​President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria at the Pope Francis Conference in Bulgaria.

Already since 1990, the Atlantic Club has been engaged in the topic of our relationship with the Vatican, but in 1990, when we started joining NATO, we realized that we have a huge reputation problem. "We did not cause it, but we were its victim, and this was the attack against Pope John Paul II and we wanted this dark spot to be cleared of Bulgaria," Solomon Passy said.
 
He noted that the first to invite Pope John Paul II to Bulgaria was President Zhelev, and then in 1994 a powerful campaign for the pope's arrival in Bulgaria began. "Then there was a huge resistance to this coming - both political and religious, and to misunderstanding and inertia, and to the lack of culture in this area," explained Solomon Passy.

He also noted the contribution of Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha to the arrival of Pope John Paul II in 2002 in Bulgaria. Then the pope said the flagship phrase "Bulgaria has no relation to the attack on him," Solomon Passy recalled. And noted that in 2002, Bulgaria received two covenants - the invitation to join NATO - in November 2002 and the date for EU membership - again in autumn 2002.
 
We are now in a new phase of our relationship with the Vatican, Solomon Passy said, and said that in his capacity as foreign minister he had sent Pope John Paul II to the airport and handed him a letter. I thank him for the visit but I noted that "in order for Bulgaria to have a greater weight in the world and in the Catholic world, we think it is time for you to define a Bulgarian cardinal," Passy said. According to him, the main political mission of the visit of Pope Francis in the country must be affiliated with the Bulgarian government and Catholics us to ask the pope him to do that which Pope John Paul II did not have time - to have Bulgarian Cardinal. "I hope after the visit of Pope Francis in Bulgaria to have a Bulgarian Catholic cardinal," Solomon Passy said at the conference.

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