Pope Francis: Ad limina visit of Bulgarian Bishops
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with Bishops from Bulgaria who are in
Rome for their ad limina visit. In his address to the Bishops, Pope Francis gave thanks
to God for the “concerted effort” of the whole Church in Bulgaria, which “demonstrates
the vitality of the Catholic faith” in the country.
He called to mind especially
a number of initiatives promoted in recent years, including the Jubilee celebrating
the 150th anniversary of the union with the Apostolic See; a conference
on the work Angelo Roncalli, later John XXIII, who served as Apostolic Delegate to
Bulgaria from 1925-34; and the 60th anniversary of the martyrdom of the
Passionist Bishop Evgenij Bossilkov, who was executed by the Communist regime in 1952.
Pope
Francis also mentioned the National Gathering of Catholics in Bulgaria, the National
Day of Youth, and a Study Conference on the Second Vatican Council, all held during
last year’s Year of Faith.
“These initiatives confirm that the Catholic communities,
whether Latin or Greek Catholic — although in terms of a numerical minority in the
country — carry on with commitment their mission to witness to both the natural moral
values, and the Gospel of Christ, in a society marked by so many spiritual voids left
behind by the former atheist regime or by the uncritical reception of cultural models
in which the suggestions of a practical materialism prevail.”
The Holy Father
said that, in virtue of our Baptism, we are all called to be missionary disciples,
“invited by the Lord to evangelize with joy and with spirit.” He emphasized, too,
the social dimension of evangelization, “which has as its point of reference the social
doctrine of the Church” and which prioritizes inclusion of poor and commitment to
common good and to social peace. In this regard, he said it was important for civil
institutions to recognize the moral and spiritual authority of the Holy See, and its
contribution to the common good and the progress of the country.
Pope Francis
also recognized the “courageous witness of fidelity to Christ and to the Church,”
and called on the bishops to foster a united effort with regard the formation of the
faithful, promoting catechesis, making special efforts for the pastoral care of youth
and for the fostering of vocations.
“Your communities,” Pope Francis said,
“live and work alongside those of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.” Through the Bishops,
he greeted the Orthodox Patriarch Neophyte I, who will celebrate the first anniversary
of his canonical election in the coming days. Pope Francis called on the Bishops to
promote ecumenical dialogue, praying that “the hearts and minds of all might be opened
so that the hope of joining together to celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice might
become ever more concrete.”
Finally Pope Francis spoke about the upcoming canonizations
of John XXIII and John Paul II. Both Popes, he noted, have a connection to Bulgaria
— John XXIII having served there as Apostolic Delegate; and John Paul II, the first
Slavic Pope, having visited the country in 2002. At the conclusion of his address,
Pope Francis entrusted the Churches of Bulgaria and the earthly development of the
country to “the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church; to Saint Cyril and Methodius,
the evangelizers of the Slavic people; and to the Blessed Bishop and Martyr Evgenij
Bossilkov.”