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Pope
Sings Together
with Young Catholics
• Pope John Paul II Celebrates
Solemn Mass in Bulgarian
in Plovdiv
• Pope John Paul II Says
He Wishes to Pay Tribute to All
Who Suffered for Their Faith During the Communist Regime
Pope John Paul II
Leaves for Rome
from Kroumovo Airport
Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, May 26 (BTA)
Pope John Paul II, who was in
Bulgaria on a four-day official visit and an apostolic journey,
left for Rome from Kroumovo airport in Plovdiv.
Foreign Minister Solomon Passy saw him off at the airport.
Passy thanked the guest for everything he has done for mankind
since he was elected Pope, adding that this visit symbolizes all
that Bulgaria has contributed to human civilization.
In his speech upon leaving Pope John Paul II voiced his
gratitude to the Bulgarian President, the government, Patriarch
Maksim, the metropolitans and bishop of the Holy Synod, all
adherents to Orthodox Christianity in Bulgaria, the Catholic
Community, the Muslims and Jews, and the entire Bulgarian people
for making his visit pleasant and fruitful. "God bless Bulgaria
and may His abundant blessing give your people days of
progress, abundance and peace, and make them feel my love and
gratitude," the Pope said.
Passy presented as a gift to Pope John Paul II a bottle of
Bulgarian red wine, 1953 vintage, wishing him that the wine
bring him good heath and long life when he celebrates Easter in
2003.
The farewell ceremony was attended by Apostolic Nuncio in
Sofia Antonio Mennini, Bulgarian Ambassador to the Holy See
Vladimir Gradev, and three Bulgarian bishops - Hristo Proikov,
Georgi Yovchev and Petko Hristov, representatives of the
Apostolic Nunciature, and the mayor and regional governor of
Plovdiv. An honorary guard unit saluted the Pope.
Via a special platform the Pope went on board Al Italia's
Airbus A 321, which took off at 7:12 p.m.
 Pope
Sings Together
with Young Catholics
Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, May 26 (BTA)
Pope John Paul II
sang chants together with young Catholics at a meeting in
Plovdiv Sunday. This was the last meeting on the official agenda
of his four-day visit to Bulgaria.
Referring to Bulgaria as "the land of roses," the Pope urged
the young Catholics to contribute to its further development as
a "country of hospitality and peace."
"You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world,"
the Pontiff said, addressing young people around the globe, as
they prepare to celebrate the World Youth Day in Toronto,
Canada, in about two months. "Being the salt of the earth means
being a champion of Peace and a witness of Love," he said,
adding: "Light warms and dispels fears."
The meeting was preceded by a formal lunch at the
headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv,
attended by Bulgarian Catholic bishops and distinguished guests.
During their meeting with the Pope, the young Catholics grew
very excited and interrupted his official address of greetings
every now and then with cheerful shouts and applause.
The proceedings went beyond the rigours of protocol as the
young people began to chant "Holy Father, we love you!" and to
clap their hands.
Finishing his formal address, the Pope said a few more
words, this time in his native Polish.
"The Church looks to you with careful attention because it
sees in you its future and places great hopes on you," the Pope
said. "Why is the meeting with young Bulgarians the last one?
Because young people can see farthest into the future."
"I do not know if I will be able to see Bulgaria again.
Nevertheless, I am happy that I met with young Bulgarians at the
end of my visit. Tomorrow belongs to you. I wish your people
that tomorrow be its best day. I embrace you and bless you all,"
the Holy Father said in conclusion.
 Pope John Paul II Celebrates
Solemn Mass in Bulgarian
in Plovdiv
Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, May 26 (BTA)
Pope John Paul II beatified Kamen
Vichev, Pavel Djidjov and Yosofat Shishkov, three Bulgarian
Catholic Assumptionist priests who were executed by firing squad
on November 12, 1952 by the communist authorities together with
the blessed Bishop Evgeni Bossilkov, at an open-air solemn mass
in Plovdiv's central square.
The mass was attended by more than 10,000 worshippers from
Bulgaria and abroad.
The Head of the Roman Catholic Church served the three-hour
solemn mass on Most Holy Trinity Sunday together with the
Cardinals accompanying him and bishops and Catholic priests from
Bulgaria and abroad.
Pope John Paul II was welcomed with psalms performed by the
choir of the St Ludwig Cathedral in Plovdiv. 350 children
dressed in white received their first communion from the Holy
Father.
The Pope served mass from a special podium resembling the
inside of a church of an area of 340 square meters. The
Cardinals were on the first level of the podium and the second,
on which there was pulpit, an altar and a gilded throne, was
reserved for the Head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The first and only replica of the miracle-working Mother of
God icon sanctified at the Bachkovo Monastery which is the
Plovdiv City Council's gift to the Pope, was also placed at the
altar..
A wooden 3.5 m tall cross with the Vatican's emblem was
mounted above the stage. There was also a sign reading "I Shall
Follow Your Light".
Pope John Paul II was dressed in a special gown made by his
Plovdiv hosts. According to tradition, the Pope leaves the
clothes he has celebrated mass in to his hosts as a souvenir of
his visit. After the Holy Father's departure the gown will be
placed in a special glass-case at the Catholic Cathedral in
Plovdiv.
The central square in Plovdiv was decorated with the state
emblem of the Vatican made of flowers and coloured stones. The
podium from which the Pope served Mass was decorated by 324
chrysanthemums.
Before going to the square on the Popemobile, the Pope
visited the building of Plovdiv's City Council where he signed
the Guests of Honour Book.
On his way, children welcomed the Holy Father chanting "We
Want the Pope!"
Addressing Pope John Paul II Bishop Georgi Yovchev of the
Sofia-Plovdiv diocese described his visit as a historical moment
at the turn of the millennium.
Plovdiv is an ancient city in which martyrs of the Christian
faith have died in name of God in the first centuries after
Christ's birth, Bishop Georgi Yovchev said.
Metropolitan Arseniy of Plovdiv welcomed the Holy Father
with Apostle Paul's words to the Christians in the city of
Corinth:
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and
the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all."
He went on to say that the Holy Father is now standing on
holy land in the ancient city of Plovdiv on which apostles have
preached in the first century after Christ's birth and on which
scores of martyrs of the Christian faith have spilled their
blood.
Metropolitan Arseniy finished his address with the words
that all Christians should remember that they should be of one
heart and the soul to glorify God through Jesus Christ, our
Lord.
Pope John Paul II Says
He Wishes to Pay Tribute to All
Who Suffered for Their Faith During the Communist Regime
Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, May 26 (BTA)
The success of our earthly
pilgrimage depends on whether we respond to God's love, the Pope
said, serving mass in Plovdiv on Sunday. He added that the
three priests beatified by him were fully aware of this truth.
The Pope celebrated the Holy Mass in Bulgarian.
The Pope said that beatifying the three Bulgarian Catholic
priests, he also wishes to pay tribute to all martyrs of the
Eastern Orthodox faith during the communist regime. Their strong
faith in Christ has brought together the two communities of the
Christian Church in Bulgaria, the Holy Father said.
The Pope called on the Bulgarian Church to seriously
consider the possibility of opening of a Catholic seminary in
Bulgaria to train young priests.
At the beginning of the Mass the Pope greeted Metropolitan
Arseniy of Plovdiv who attended the Holy Mass. He said his
presence was a sign of hope that we may some day rejoice over
full unification.
The Pope also addressed those professing the Islamic
religion who also "worship, though in a different way, the only
Almighty God".
The Pope also greeted the representatives of the state
authorities, thanking them for their contribution and said that
without this contribution his journey to Bulgaria would have
been impossible.
Turning to the Mother of God icon placed at the altar, Pope
John Paul II asked the Holy Virgin to watch over the Bulgarian
people.
The Pope greeted the French, Romanians, Serbs, Croats,
Czechs and Poles who were in the square and blessed them,
speaking in their national languages. He made the first such
address in French, as the group of French pilgrims was the
largest in the square.
Addressing his fellow Poles, "whose fate is historically
connected to Bulgaria, a nation so dear to Polish hearts," the
Pope called on them to be "always ready for joint work with all
ethnic and religious groups in Bulgaria."
The ceremony closed with the popular Orthodox chant "Mnogaya
Leta!" ("May God Grant You Many Years!").
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