STS. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, PRECURSORS OF A UNIFIED EUROPE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning received a delegation from Bulgaria, as he does each year when they come to Rome to pay tribute to the Saints and brothers, Cyril and Methodius. The delegation was led by Bulgaria's Prime Minister Ivan Kostov.

"With the presence here today of Catholic and Orthodox pastors," noted John Paul II, quoting "Slavorum Apostoli," "'we clearly see that the legacy of the brothers of Salonika is and remains ... deeper and stronger that any divisions', showing that both traditions, western and eastern, were born within the one Church of Christ. In fact, Saints Cyril and Methodius contributed to establishing and spreading the faith and Christian culture in the Slavic world."

The Pope remarked that "the brother saints, in proclaiming the Gospel, knew how to be respectful of authentic moral and human values, and of cultural diversity, allowing all peoples their unique characteristics and opening the way for unity among different cultures." He said they were thus, in a way, precursors of a unified Europe, built on peace and reconciliation, having created "the foundations for a new way of coexistence, respecting differences, which are in no way obstacles to unity."

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