THREE PRIESTS EXECUTED BY COMMUNIST REGIME ARE BEATIFIED

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2002 (VIS) - Today, the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the Pope traveled by car to Plovdiv, 150 kilometers east of Sofia, Bulgaria, where he celebrated the Eucharist in the central square. He beatified three priests of the congregation of Augustinians of the Assumption: Kamen Vitchev, Pavel Djidjov and Josaphat Chichkov, who were executed by the Communist regime in 1952 along with Bishop Eugenio Bossilkov, whom he beatified in 1998.

Three bishops from Bulgaria concelebrated with the Pope as well as the cardinals and bishops in the papal entourage. Also present at the celebration was Bishop Arsenij, Orthodox metropolitan of Plovdiv, who spoke a few words before the Mass began.

At the beginning of his homily, John Paul II greeted the faithful of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church "who have joined us. Their presence ... gives us a foretaste in hope of the joy of full unity, when it will be granted us to celebrate together the Eucharistic Sacrifice."

Referring to the three Blesseds, the Holy Father recalled that the cause for which "they did not hesitate to give their lives was their faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit." Thinking about them, "I also feel in duty bound to honor the memory of the other confessors of the faith who were sons and daughters of the Orthodox Church and who suffered martyrdom under the same Communist regime. This tribute of fidelity to Christ brought together the two ecclesial communities in Bulgaria, even to the supreme witness."

"The courageous fidelity in the face of suffering and imprisonment shown by Fathers Josaphat, Kamen and Pavel was acknowledged by their former students - Catholics, Orthodox, Jews and Muslims - by their parishioners, the members of their religious communities, and their fellow prisoners. By their dynamism, their fidelity to the Gospel, their selfless service to the Nation, the new Blesseds stand out as models for Christians today, especially for Bulgaria's young people, who are looking to give meaning to their lives and who wish to follow Christ whether as laypersons, in religious life or in the priesthood."

The Pope concluded by urging that "the special commitment with which the new Blesseds encouraged candidates to the presbyterate be an incentive for everyone: I exhort the local Church in Bulgaria to consider seriously the possibility of re-establishing a seminary."

Following the Eucharistic celebration, and before praying the Angelus, John Paul II asked the Virgin to watch over the Christian people of Bulgaria "so that they may know be able to follow her Son Jesus with courage and commitment and bear witness to Him before the world by the integrity of their lives and works!" At the end, he greeted the faithful who had participated in the beatification in French, Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech and Polish.

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