Pope Francis meets Bulgarian, Macedonian delegations
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday held separate meetings with a delegation from
Bulgaria, led by Marin Raykov, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and
a delegation from the Republic of Macedonia, led by Trajko Valjanoski, President of
the Parliament. Every year, delegations from the two countries are welcomed at the
Vatican to mark the feast of the co-patrons of Europe, Saints Cyril and Methodius,
which, according to the Julian calendar, falls on Friday. The two saints were the
first evangelizers of Eastern Europe, in particular the regions of Moravia and Pannonia,
inhabited by Slavic peoples for which Cyril invented an alphabet in which to translate
the Bible. The official visit made a stop at the Basilica of San Clemente, which is
home to the tomb of St. Cyril. Listen: