Pope John Paul II Ends Visit,
Dismisses 'Bulgarian Connection' in Assassination Attempt


Sofia, May 26 (by Ekaterina Kazasova of BTA)
Bulgaria's exoneration from the death plot against Pope John Paul II is the most important message of the four-day official papal visit here which ended Sunday, according to prominent Bulgarian artist Professor Svetlin Roussev.

The Pontiff left Bulgaria at 7.03 p.m. with an Al Italia flight.

This first visit by a head of the Roman Catholic Church to Bulgaria became a fact 21 years after Mehmet Ali Agca shot at Pope John Paul II in May 1981 and 19 years after then Communist leader Todor Zhivkov invited the latter to visit. After the 1989 democratic changes Bulgaria extended several invitations to the Pope, but they were all declined except for the last one - by an organizing committee of intellectuals, including Foreign Minister Solomon Passy.

The visit had three main highlights. Firstly, and most importantly, the Pope dismissed the accusations of Bulgarian involvement in the attempt at his life. Pope John Paul II said he had never believed in the so called 'Bulgarian connection'. Secondly, opportunities were created to step up dialogue between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. And thirdly, the Papal visit coincided with the session of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly and could influence positively Bulgaria's chances for NATO and EU membership.

Foreign Minister Passy described the visit as the greatest achievement in the Bulgarian foreign policy since WWII, after the Pope discharged Bulgaria of all responsibility for the assassination attempt.

"Pope John Paul II's visit is our real Easter," Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said after meeting him in the Rila Monastery.

Not many hoped the Pope would make a categoric statement about the 'Bulgarian connection' during his visit. The public expectations were that he would either avoid the issue, or would dismiss the accusations against Bulgaria with general statements. His first words on Bulgarian land - that he had never ceased to love the Bulgarians - seemed to confirm the expectations. At the meeting with President Georgi Purvanov, however, he described as insinuations the country's involvement in the assassination attempt. "I have never believed in the so called 'Bulgarian connection,'" he told the President. Thus, 21 years later, he cleaned Bulgaria's name from the stigma.

The Bulgarian intellectuals and politicians were overjoyed by the Pope's words. Dimiter Panica, a prominent intellectual and chairman of Free and Democratic Bulgaria foundation, said this was "fantastic". Former president Zhelyu Zhelev said he was very pleased because the Pope's confirmed what he has said seven years ago, namely that the 'Bulgarian connection' should be wiped off. "We should thank the Pope for his courage and responsibility, for putting an end to a baseless accusation that was never proved," said former prime minister Dimiter Popov. According to another former prime minister, Filip Dimitrov, it is clear that His Holiness does not wish the assassination attempt to be wed with Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, a number of papers asked why did it have to take so long to hold this visit and if this was the right time for it. "I knew that the Pope very much wanted to visit Bulgaria. And he knew it was precisely the visit to this country that would be the best place and the best time to make this sacral announcement [concerning the country's involvement in the assissnation attempt]," Passy said.

The press commented that the papal visit closed a chapter of the Cold War history and cleaned Bulgaria's name from any suggestions that it might have been involved in the death plot.

Press reports described as "cool" the meeting between the Pope and Patriarch Maksim. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church did not join the invitation to the Pope to visit. However, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said it would welcome the Pope with all due respect. Surprisingly, Patriarch Maksim attended the official welcoming ceremony at St. Alexander Nevski central square and had a 45-minute eye-to-eye meeting with the guest. Later President Georgi Purvanov described this as a clear signal that the Holy Synod is ready for an active dialogue.

The Pope was welcomed cordially by the monks at the Rila monastery. The monastery's hegumen, Bishop John stressed in his address to the Pope that the split between the Orthodox and the Catholic churches has lasted ten centuries. "But the walls between them do not reach the skies and are temporary - men erected them and men will pull them down," said he.

The dialogue between the two churches is very important for Europe's future integration, said Cardinal Walter Casper, Chairman of the Pontifical Council for the Unity of Christians. In his words, the relations between the Orthodox and the Catholic churches are intensive and are being stepped up.

Bulgaria's chances for EU and NATO membership were also commented in the light of the Papal visit. NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Rafael Estrella was the first to make such connection. Upon his arrival in Sofia he said that the NATO-PA session in Sofia and Pope John Paul II's visit are positive initiatives connected with overcoming the 50-year period of confrontation during the Cold War.

For his part, Pope John Paul II called Bulgaria a bridge between the East and West and a spiritual crossroad, and wished that the efforts for social renovation find deserved reception and support from the European Community.