Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Gifts Pope Symbolic Omophorion Amid Talks on Faith and Ukraine
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov made a notable visit to the Vatican ahead of Bulgaria’s May 24 celebrations
The Catholic Church has elected its 267th pope, as signaled by the emergence of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 7:08 pm. The announcement follows the fourth ballot of the conclave, one round earlier than the selection of Pope Francis in 2013.
Update: The new pope is American Robert Prevost.

The identity of the new Pontiff has yet to be revealed. It is customary for approximately an hour to pass after the appearance of white smoke before the cardinal protodeacon steps onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to deliver the proclamation “Habemus Papam,” disclosing the new Pope’s name to the world.
In St. Peter’s Square, more than 10,000 people erupted into cheers as the smoke rose, with the crowd continuing to grow as pilgrims and visitors flock to the area, eager to witness the historic announcement.
The newly chosen Pontiff will succeed Pope Francis, who passed away at 88 on Easter Monday in his residence at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.
This year’s ozone hole over Antarctica has turned out to be one of the smallest seen in decades, with new measurements from NOAA and NASA showing a clear continuation of the gradual recovery that began after the global restrictions introduced under the Mo
Italy, Bulgaria, Malta and Belgium have issued a joint statement expressing reservations about the European Union’s plan to use frozen Russian assets as the basis for a large-scale financial mechanism to support Ukraine
The European Union has moved to lock in the freeze on Russian central bank reserves, marking a significant shift in how the bloc handles Moscow’s sovereign assets and opening the way for a large-scale financial package for Ukraine
The European Commission made clear that Bulgaria’s planned entry into the Eurozone remains unchanged, regardless of the political uncertainty in Sofia.
The Eurogroup meeting concluded with an official decision that clears Bulgaria to join the European Stability Mechanism
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