Vatican City, 13 February 2014 (VIS) –
This morning Pope Francis received in audience a group of bishops
from the Episcopal Conference of Bulgaria on their “ad limina”
visit, during which he handed them the text of an address in which he
praised the vitality of the Catholic faith in the country, as
demonstrated by a series of initiatives and activities in recent
years. These include the Jubilee Year of 2010 convoked by the
Apostolic Exarchate for Catholics of Byzantine-Slavic rite to
celebrate the 150th anniversary of union with the Apostolic See of
Rome; the scientific-commemorative convention on the work of
Archbishop Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, apostolic visitor and delegate
in Bulgaria during the years 1925 – 1934; the celebrations of the
60th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Passionist Blessed Evgenij
Bossilkov and, during the recent Year of Faith, the National Meeting
of Catholics of Bulgaria, the National Day for Young People and a
study conference on Vatican Council II.
These initiatives confirm that the
Catholic communities belonging both to the Latin Church and the
Greek-Catholic Church, while a minority in Bulgaria, bear witness
“both to natural moral values, and to Christ's Gospel, in a society
marked by the many spiritual voids left behind by the former atheist
regime and the uncritical acceptance of cultural models in which the
suggestions of a certain practical materialism prevail”.
In the text, the Pope encourages the
bishops to follow this path with courage and to inspire “that
missionary transformation that the Church is called upon to bring
about in the entire world”. He writes, “We are all missionary
disciples, sent by the Lord to evangelise with joy and spirit, also
recognising the valuable treasure of popular piety. This renewed
missionary effort also has a social dimension, which takes as a point
of reference the social doctrine of the Church and whose priorities
are the social inclusion of the poor and commitment to the common
good and social peace. It is therefore important for civil
institutions to recognise the role of the Holy See as a spiritual and
moral authority within the international community and to positively
acknowledge the presence of the Catholic Church in conjunction with
the Bulgarian nation and the contribution she offers in the service
of the common good and the progress of the country”.
Pope Francis mentions the courageous
witness to Christ and the Church on the part of Bulgarian faithful
during dramatic periods in history and the path they have undertaken
in the last two decades since regaining their freedom, and he
encourages them to trust in the providential action of the Lord. He
also urges the prelates to prioritise the formation of priests and
the young, and since Catholics in Bulgaria live in close contact with
the communities of the Orthodox Church, to continue in their efforts
“to promote an increasingly intense and brotherly dialogue” with
this Church, in order to “open the hearts and minds of all to give
rise to an ever more concrete hope to arrive at the united
celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice”.
Finally, referring to the upcoming
canonisation on 27 April of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II, to
be attended by delegations from various Bulgarian dioceses and
exarchates, the Holy Father states: “It is an eloquent sign of the
effect the witness of the first Slavic Pope has had on the soul and
the life of the Bulgarian Catholic community … and also a sign of
the living memory left of Archbishop Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli during
the years in which he worked in Bulgaria as apostolic delegate .. and
his affection for the Bulgarian people, which in the midst of the
vicissitudes of history has kept alive the flame of faith in Christ”.
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