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Pope John Paul II to Address Bulgarian Intellectuals in Bulgarian
• Square in Sofia to Be Named John Paul II
• Plovdiv Prepares
for Papal Visit
•
Pontiff in 1994: "Bulgaria Is the Garden of Eastern Europe"
• Government
Allocates Lv 258,700 to Cover Papal Visit Expenses
• Plovdiv Municipality
to Present Only Replica of Miracle-Working Icon to Pope John Paul
II
• Guest to Consecrate Statue of Pope John XXIII during Visit to St Joseph's Concathedral
Pope John Paul II to Celebrate Mass in Bulgarian
in Plovdiv
Sofia, May 10 (BTA)
Pope John Paul II, who will undertake an apostolic journey to Bulgaria from April 23 through 26, will celebrate Mass in Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria) in Bulgarian, said the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bulgaria.
The Holy Father will deliver his sermons and addresses to the Bulgarian people in Bulgarian.
The schedule of the papal visit was formally unveiled at a news conference May 10. The Pontiff will be welcomed at a ceremony in Sveti Alexander Nevsky Square in central Sofia on the evening of May 23. The official welcoming ceremony for the Sovereign of the State of Vatican City will be hosted by President Georgi Purvanov in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the morning of May 24. Then the Pope will visit the St Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Memorial Cathedral on the occasion of the Feast Day of Sts Cyril and Methodius and will lay wreaths at the saints' monument in front of the National Library. The Head of the Roman Catholic Church will pay a visit on Patriarch Maksim of Bulgaria at the Holy Synod Headquarters, and will meet with representatives of the Jewish community and with distinguished scientists and artists at the National Palace of Culture.
On May 25, the Holy Father will visit the Rila Monastery (Southwestern Bulgaria), where he will have a private meeting with Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. After that he will meet with Chief Mufti Selim Mehmed and representatives of the Muslim community and with dignitaries of the Evangelical churches, and will visit the two Catholic cathedrals in Sofia: the St Joseph's Concathedral (Western Rite) and the Exarchal Cathedral of the Assumption (Byzantine Rite).
The Holy Father is expected to consecrate the foundation stone of a new St Joseph's Church which will be built on the site of a church that was destroyed in the Allied air raids on Sofia in 1944, said Father Blagovest Vangelov, General Vicar of the Assumption Church.
On May 26 Pope John Paul II will celebrate an open-air Mass in Plovdiv's central square, at which he will beatify Kamen Vichev, Pavel Djidjov and Yosafat Shishkov, the three Catholic priests who were executed by firing squad on November 12, 1952 together with the Blessed Bishop Evgenii Bossilkov. Nearly 40 bishops and 100 priests have declared willingness to concelebrate the pontifical Mass which will be attended by some 30,000 of Bulgaria's 100,000 Catholics.
After Mass, the Pope will have lunch with the Catholic bishops of Bulgaria and is scheduled to meet with young Catholics in the afternoon. On the same day the Holy Father will leave the country.
Asked whether the Catholic Church is upset by the Holy Synod's reaction to the papal visit, Father Stefan Manolov of Plovdiv said this was a natural reaction of the spiritual leaders of the traditional religious denomination in every country, which is why negotiations are held before each pontifical visit. In these negotiations, it is emphasized that the apostolic journey will not stir a commotion among believers. The Catholic Church representatives stressed that Pope John Paul II visits the countries where there are Catholics but his visits so far have never been followed by a mass conversion of Eastern Orthodox Christians into Catholics.
The Pope will be accompanied by his retinue, about a dozen cardinals, some six personal security guards, and about 60-70 official guests. In Sofia, he will put up at the Apostolic Nunciature, and the officials will be accommodated at the SAS Radisson and Hilton Sofia hotels. A large number of French and Italian priests, leading groups of pilgrims, are expected to arrive in Bulgaria.
The Latin (Western)-Rite Dioceses of Sofia and Plovdiv and of Nikopol and Rousse will present the Holy Father with rose oil and a carpet featuring the Chiprovtsi Virgin, respectively, and the Bulgarian (Byzantine)-Rite Catholic Exarchate of Sofia will offer the distinguished guest an icon of Jesus Christ.
Pope John Paul II will travel around Bulgaria by helicopter or car, and will use his personal Popemobil for short-distance movements.
At each meeting, the Holy Father will be sitting in a special chair, with the most beautiful such chair being reserved for the celebration of Mass.
In connection with the papal visit, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bulgaria is staging an exhibition of documents and photos illustrating the spread of Catholicism in the Bulgarian lands. The exhibition will open at the National Library on May 16. 
Sofia, May 20 (BTA)
Pope John Paul II will speak
Bulgarian at a May 24 meeting with Bulgarian representatives of culture,
science and art. Writer Yordan Radichkov will deliver a welcoming
address.
Nearly 2,500 invitations have been sent to Bulgarian intellectuals. The May 24 meeting and concert at Sofia's National Palace of Culture are dedicated to the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slav Letters. The Pope is expected to be a guest of honour at the function, said Milen Milanov of the All-Nation Committee on the Invitation and Welcome of the Pope to Bulgaria.
The concert features Theodosii Spassov (kaval - wooden shepher'd flute), Ibryam Papazov (clarinet), the One Hundred Pipers from Smolyan, folk singer Valya Balkanska, violinist Mincho Minchev, a massed orchestra conducted by Emil Tabakov, opera singers Kaloudi Kaloudov, Alexandrina Pendachanska and Zvetelina Vassileva, the John Koukouzels men's choir, La Mystere des Voix Bulgares, the Filip Koutev Ensemble, the Svetoslav Obretenov National Philharmonic Choir, and the Bulgarian National Radio Choir. All perfomers will gather on stage at the end of the concert to sing the Hymn to Sts Cyril and Methodius.
Square in Sofia to Be Named John
Paul II
Sofia, April 15 (BTA)
A square in central Sofia will
carry the name of Pope John Paul II. That was resolved by the Sofia
Municipal Council at a session on April 15.
The idea to have a square named after the Pontiff caused an uproar
at City Hall.
Some said it is wrong to name a street or anything at all after a
living person. Others said it was wrong to have a square in an Eastern
Orthodox country named after Pope John Paul rather than after Oecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew.
But the majority of municipal councillors were supportive, and now
what used to be the Svoboda Square in the Lozenets residential area
will be called Pope John Paul II.
The resolution came weeks ahead of the Pontiff's Bulgarian visit,
May 23-26.
Plovdiv Prepares for Papal Visit
BTA Correspondent Vesselin Traikov
Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, April 29
Preparations are in full swing for Pope John Paul II's visit to Plovdiv on May 26.The Pope is expected to pay his first visit to Bulgaria between May 23 and 26.The Central Square in the country's second-largest city will look very different from its usual appearance.
The Pontiff, assisted by cardinals, bishops and priests from Bulgaria and abroad, will read mass in the square. The place currently resembles a construction site. Part of the marble paving is being replaced by lawns designed as a natural extension to the King Simeon Park. A swathe of greenery and retro-style light posts will encircle the square, which is expected to take tens of thousands of people on the day of the visit.
A 300-square-metre covered platform will be raised here for the Pope. This is a rather complex structure, practically unique to Bulgaria, according to architects Atanas Vassev and Petya Vladimirova. The takedown platform was designed by a team of Interproekt led by engineer Emil Dimitrov. The project is being executed by experts from the International Fair of Plovdiv.
Scaffolding has been raised around the St Ludwig church, where the Pope will meet with young Catholics.
Preparations are also carried out by the services which will be in
charge of security during the visit. Officers have repeatedly examined
all venues of the planned events. The members of the Catholic community
in Plovdiv, Rakovski and other population centres in the region are
looking forward to the papal visit. The traditional Days of Culture
in Rakovski municipality will open in about ten days with outdoor
solemn mass; this year they are dedicated to the papal visit. Children
are particularly excited, as they expect to receive Holy Communion
from the Pope.
Pontiff in 1994: "Bulgaria Is the Garden of Eastern Europe"
Sofia, May 8 (BTA)
Meeting with Bulgarians back
in 1994, Pope John Paul II said: "I pray that one day I could
visit your beautiful country, called 'the garden of Eastern Europe.'"
This and other interesting facts can be found at www.popeinbulgaria.com,
an English-language website whose launch was announced by PR expert
Maxim Behar.
The Pope is expected in Bulgaria between May 23 and 26, 2002.
Besides news items, the site features the full programme of the visit,
facts about religion in Bulgaria, and useful Internet links.
Government Allocates Lv 258,700
to Cover Papal Visit Expenses
Sofia, May 9 (BTA)
The Cabinet decided to remit
258,700 leva of state funding to the budget for the May 23-26 visit
here of Pope John Paul II, the press office of the government said.
The money will be provided after restructuring of action expenditures
from the national budget and will be spent to organize an official
welcoming ceremony in Sveti Alexander Nevsky Square, a concert to
mark May 24 and to fund a promotional campaign.
Some 700 journalists from around the world will be accredited to cover
the papal visit which is expected to boost Bulgaria's international
image. "In this sense, the Government views the released funding as
an investment in Bulgaria's image," the press release said.
Plovdiv Municipality to Present Only Replica of Miracle-Working Icon to Pope John Paul II
Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria, May 16 (BTA)
Artist Gancho Ganev of Plovdiv
has completed the first and only replica of a miracle-working icon
of the Virgin which will be presented to Pope John Paul II during
his forthcoming visit to Bulgaria's second largest city.
The original of the icon is kept at the Bachkovo Monastery near Plovdiv.
The miracle-working image of the Virgin is the monastery's most precious
possession. It leaves the cloister only once a year, on Easter Monday,
when it is carried by a large procession to a locality called Klouviyata.
There, legend has it, the icon was hidden in a rock cave and thus
survived the numerous raids and arsons of Bachkovo under the Turkish
yoke. Two goat herds discovered the icon in 1604, guided by its aura,
and it was returned to the monastery. It has been revered by worshippers
for centuries for its reputed powers to grant prayers.
Ganev took more than 100 days to do the unique replica, which reproduces
the original to the minutest details and follows strictly the Byzantine
icon-painting rules. The artist prepared his paints using ancient
formulae, mixing vinegar and diluted wine, whipped egg yolk and figs.
The beautiful "basma oklad," a metal cover of the icon leaving
the hands and face exposed, was hand-crafted of 6 kilos of fine silver
donated by the KCM Non-ferrous Metal Works in Plovdiv. The silver
sheet had to be extruded in Istanbul before it was hammered and chiseled
into the exquisite facing. The gilding of the icon was done by Kochak
Gold, also at no charge.
On May 19, the unique replica of the miracle-working icon of the Theotokos
was solemnly consecrated at the Bachkovo Monastery, and it will be
displayed on the dais in Plovdiv's Central Square while the Holy Father
is celebrating open-air Mass on May 26.
Guest to Consecrate Statue of Pope John XXIII during Visit to St Joseph's Concathedral
Sofia, May 20 (BTA)
Pope John Paul II will consecrate
a statute of Pope John XXIII during a visit to the building that now
houses the St Joseph's Concathedral of the Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv,
Father Krzysztof Kuzok told BTA. The concathedral was destroyed in
World War II air raids.
The statue was made by Italian sculptor Bigliani and arrived from Italy together with the Popemobile. After its consecration, it will be placed in the concathedral's yard.
Pope John Paul II will visit the concathedral on May 25 as part of his official visit and apostolic journey to Bulgaria, May 23-26.
He will be welcomed by the three choirs of the cathedral with songs in Bulgarian. He is expected to bless those present at the service in Bulgarian and to consecrate foundation stones for the St Joseph's Concathedral, which will be built on the site of the old one, and for a new St Andrew Church in the village of Kaloyanovo, near Hissarya.
The Holy Father will be presented with a cast of the only crucifix salvaged from the debris of the bombed church.
Father Kuzok is of the Franciscan Order. Three Bulgarian Franciscans are currently studying at the Krakow Theological Academy. Five other Bulgarians are studying for the priesthood in Italy.
Seven Bulgarian Catholic priests have been ordained in the Sofia-Plovdiv Diocese since 1994
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