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• "There Is No Such Thing as 'Bulgarian Connection
in Papal Kill, as Far as Vatican Is Concerned," Bulgarian Ambassador
to Holy See Tells BTA
• Holy Synod
Bishops Say Papal Visit May Help Advance Inter-Faith Dialogue
• John Pail
II Brings Message for Better Future, Says Philosopher Georgi Kapriev
Pope Will Encourage Bulgarians to Be Proud
of Their Identity, Apostolic Nuncio Says
Sofia, May 15 (BTA)
"When he comes to Bulgaria,
the Holy Father will tell all Bulgarians that under no circumstances
has he ceased to love the Bulgarian people, and that his coming
here is yet another clear sign of this love," the Apostolic Nuncio
in Sofia Antonio Mennini said in a BTA interview. This is his answer
to a question about the view that the Holy See takes of the alleged
"Bulgarian connection" to the 1981 attempt on the Pope's life.
Immediately after the tragic incident, Pope John Paul II apparently
felt forgiveness towards the physical perpetrators, Monsignor Mennini
says. "The Holy See never expressed any position on the proceedings
in the case, allowing the investigative authorities to do their
job," he says.
When the Pope addresses Bulgarians here on May 23-26, 2002, he "will
encourage them to keep alive the memory of their cultural, ethnical
and spiritual roots, to be proud of their national identity (in
which the Christian faith is a major element), and to remain committed
to their calling to serve as a 'bridge' between Eastern and Western
Europe, thus contributing to the building of the common European
home," Mennini says.
"By visiting Bulgaria on the Day of Slav Letters and Bulgarian Culture,
May 24, the Pope will, in a way, return the regular visits of Bulgarian
delegations to the Vatican made at this time of the year. This gesture
shows the Pope's respect for Slav culture in general and for Bulgarian
culture in particular," Monsignor Mennini says.
"The current relations between Bulgaria and the Holy See are characterized
by tacit great respect and two-way cooperation. The Catholic Church
in Bulgaria feels itself as a worthy and inalienable part of the
cultural and spiritual tradition of the Bulgarian nation, and it
has been recognized as such," he says.
The full transcript of the exclusive interview with the Apostolic
Nuncio is published in the issue on Pope John Paul II of BTA's "100%
series."
Sofia, May 16 (BTA)
"'A Bulgarian connection' in the attempted assassination of Pope John II does not exist, as far as the Vatican is concerned," the Bulgarian Ambassador to the Holy See Vladimir Gradev said in a BTA interview.
Asked about the Holy See's views on the "Antonov case", the ambassador said no one in the Vatican linked the assassination attempt with "a Bulgarian connection". Gradev explained that Antonov's arrest was considered an act of the independent Italian judiciary, without any involvement of the Vatican, which, as a rule, does not take a stand on secular legal matters. For instance, the Pope's authorized biography by George Weigel, published in 2000, devotes a whole chapter to the assassination attempt, including all hypotheses about Agca's motives and possible instigators, without even mentioning "a Bulgarian connection".
Pope John Paul II is coming to Bulgaria for May 24 to pay tribute to its role in the preservation and dissemination of the lifework of the Sts Cyril and Methodius Equal to the Apostles among the Slav peoples, Ambassador Gradev said. By proclaiming the holy brothers Co-Patrons of Europe, the Pope highlighted the spiritual unity of the Old Continent and showed the way to combine the two great European traditions, of the East and the West. "Along with the Pope, we recognize the common Christian and cultural roots of our continent and declare that united Europe cannot do without us," the Ambassador said.
The Bulgarian visit is the Pontiff's 96th trip outside Italy, Ambassador Gradev said. This is the first visit by a reigning pope in over 1,300 years of Bulgarian history. The Ambassador recalled that since 1975, the Pope has received a Bulgarian government delegation paying homage at St Cyril's tomb at Rome's San Clemente Basilica every year on May 24. Pope John Paul II has been invited by all Bulgarian heads of state in the last 20 years. An invitation was sent by the Catholic Church in Bulgaria, too. An all-nation committee formed to welcome the Pope was also instrumental in making the visit possible. It organized a nationwide campaign and presented 22,222 invitations from Bulgarians to the Holy See in April 2001.
The Holy See views Bulgaria as a haven of peace and stability in the Balkans, a place where European cultures and nations meet and hold dialogue, according to Ambassador Gradev.
The interview with Ambassador Gradev is part of a special edition of BTA's magazine 100%, Pope John Paul II, released May 15. In addition to the Pope's biography, it contains titbits on his voyages and the Vatican, facts about the Catholic Church in Bulgaria, the schedule of the Apostolic Journey to Bulgaria, interviews with the Apostolic Nuncio in Sofia Mngr. Antonio Mennini, Chief Mufti Selim Mehmed and hierarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Holy Synod Bishops Say Papal Visit May Help Advance Inter-Faith Dialogue
Sofia, May 16 (BTA)
The upcoming visit to Bulgaria of Pope John Paul II will be beneficial for both the state and the public, as well as for the church, says Metropolitan Dometian of Vidin.
Dometian notes that in the course of years the Pope has projected an image of a true leader of a religion with thousands of millions of adherents worldwide. "Wherever he has been to, the Pope has never urged people to become Catholics but to accept faith in God and be tolerant towards each other. We are waiting to welcome the Pope as worthy people, with respect and attention," Dometian says. He stressed that this will show that Bulgaria and the Bulgarians are tolerant.
Rousse Metropolitan Neofit says that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is a spiritual mother of the Bulgarian people protecting its links with Orthodox Christianity and at the same time trying to share the joys of the rich spiritual fruits. "This is our message to Pope John Paul II. We are sure that his visit will be a mark of respect to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian nation," Neofit says.
Asked to comment the development of dialogue between religions, Nevrokop Metropolitan Natanail says that such a dialogue is possible on human, and not just strictly religious terms. "The important thing is to help the needy, without forcing them to become one of us," he says. Natanail is of the opinion that the religious leaders should condemn violence and help abolish it.
Lovech Metropolitan Gavriil says that there has been and will be dialogue between the religions and that there are many places where people of various faiths live together in peace. The Metropolitan says that there are many people who try to use religion to attain personal benefits, which sometimes looks like a conflict between religions.
Gavriil says that the Papal visit will hardly reconcile the differences
between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity dating back
to thousands of years ago, but could help advance the dialogue between
the religions. "We very much want such a dialogue," Gavriil says.
John Pail II Brings Message for
Better Future, Says Philosopher Georgi Kapriev
Sofia, May 21 (BTA)
"Pope John Paul II ill request a private meeting with Sergei Antonov - the man who suffered innocently because he was charged with complicity to Mehmet Ali Agca's attempt at the Pope's life in 1981 - as a gesture of apology and even penance. It is a different matter if Antonov is in a condition or wishes to see the Pope," Associate Professor Georgi Kapriev, lecturer in Medieval philosophy at the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, said in a BBC interview.
In his words, the Pope tends to apologize often but he has nothing to apologize for to Bulgaria. In this case the personal life of one man, Antonov, was shattered, and this has nothing to do with the apologies to some communities, to an entire nation or a state, says Kapriev.
In an interview for Capital weekly, Kapriev says that Bulgaria is reputed as a country that fired a shot at the Pontiff. The Pope said a long time ago that he is confident that Bulgaria has nothing to do with this shot, and his visit proves it, says the philosopher, adding that this is a positive message for Bulgaria which this time will be delivered "more effectively in as far as it will be more spectacular".
According to Kapriev, the most important thing is that the Pope is coming to bring hope. His biography can serve as an example of perseverance. "The wisest message we can decipher in his visit is that future can be better," says Kapriev.
The Pope is not a miracle-worker, but a politician of world standing, Kapriev says. In his words, his visit has nothing to do with superstitious and primitive expectations. "The Pope is not a miracle man, he is just a person of global importance in two respects. First, he is the Head of the Roman Catholic Church, which is not only the biggest Christian denomination but the world's biggest religious community, and second, he is a politician of a world standing. To understand the real significance of his visit we must consider it on these two planes," says Kapriev.
Commenting on the political effect of the visit, Kapriev notes that the visit of a person of this rank is prestigious for the Bulgarian state. Bulgaria can only gain prestige if it welcomes Pope John Paul II with full honours and demonstrates that it takes him seriously.
Kapriev says he does not expect radical political consequences or a sharp change in the relations between the Orthodox and the Catholic churches, adding that no one, the Pope included, expects this. That is why he believes important the reactions during the Pope's official meetings and the behaviour of the institutions.
The Papal visit is an event of exceptional importance for the Catholic church in Bulgaria. As far as the Orthodox church is concerned, Kapriev believes it could only gain from the visit. As head of the biggest Christian denomination, the Pope can only help promote the role of Bulgarian Christianity, said he. If the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church gives the Pope a worthy welcome and yet save face, then the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Orthodox Christianity in general would gain more prestige both here and outside Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is known for the rift only, and now it could become popular with something positive, said Kapriev.
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