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• Rila Monastery Offers Hospitality to Pope John Paul II
• Bulgaria to Benefit from Papal Visit, Historian Says
• For First Time, Bulgarian National TV Admitted to Pontiff's Personal Chapel
• The Head of the Roman Catholic Church Is Professional Philosopher and Eminent University Professor
• Bishop Eugene Bossilkov's Vestments, Crozier and Mitre Displayed for First Time
• Items from Vatican Secret Archives Exhibited at National Library in Sofia
First Ever Comprehensive Study of Post-Liberation
History of Catholic Community in Bulgaria Press-Launched May 13
Sofia, May 9 (BTA)
Svetlozar Eldurov's book Catholics
in Bulgaria: 1878-1989 is the first ever comprehensive study of
that period in the history of the Catholic community in Bulgaria.
The author says his work is based on extensive archival research
and is comparable in scope to Prof. Lyubomir Miletich's ethno-linguistic
studies written a hundred years ago.
The book is a research project endorsed by the International Centre
for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations Foundation (IMIR)
in 1998 and took many years to complete.
The monograph traces the historical development of the community
in four periods: from the Liberation in 1878 to the First Balkan
War in 1912, between 1912 and 1918, between the two World Wars,
and under the totalitarian regime. The author chronicles the specifics
of the two Latin-rite dioceses, Sofia-Plovdiv and Rousse-Nikopol,
described by Eldurov as the "showcase" of the Catholic Church in
Bulgaria, and the Byzantine-rite Apostolic Exarchate of Sofia, which
takes its origins from the Uniates.
Eldurov has specialized at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and
works at the Institute of Balkan Studies of the Bulgarian Academy
of Sciences.
In his study, Eldurov used archive material from nearly 50 collections,
including the Central State Archives, the state archives in Plovdiv,
Sofia, Pleven, Veliko Turnovo, Rousse, Varna, the archives of the
Interior Ministry, the post-1944 archives of the Foreign Ministry,
the unprocessed Bulgarian Ecclestiastical Archives in Rome, published
documents, 34 newspapers in print since 1893, published and unpublished
works and memoirs by over 100 Bulgarian and foreign scholars, including
Ivan Dujcev, Konstantin Jirecek, Patriarch Kiril, and Exarch Yossif.
After the pinnacle reached by the Catholic community in the 17th
c. with the diplomatic missions of Archbishop Peter Parchevich (1643),
the first Bulgarian printed book, Abagar, produced by Bishop Philip
Stanislavov in 1651, and the Chiprovtsi Uprising in 1688, the history
of Bulgarian Catholics advanced to a new height in the early 20th
century, with the prestige of the French Catholic colleges, the
"Bulgarian Decade" of Archbishop Angelo Roncalli (later on Pope
John XXIII) as apostolic visitator in Sofia (1925-1934), and the
martyrdom of Catholic clergy at the dawn of the communist regime.
Eldurov explains in his book that most of the literature since the
start of the 20th century has viewed Catholics as alien and damaging
to Bulgarian national unity. Along with the other religious denominations,
Catholicism has long been just a subject of study for the purposes
of scientific atheism. After November 10, 1989, the subject of Catholics
gained popularity in connection with the fresh disclosures of the
crackdown on them under communism.
Catholics in Bulgaria: 1878-1989 was presented by Prof. Elena Statelova
at Plovdiv's Ethnographic Museum May 13. The press launch has been
timed in with the forthcoming visit by Pope John Paul II to Bulgaria.
Emil Mihailov of BTA
Rila Monastery, May 21
Two young people from Japan - a boy and a girl, take pictures of each other in front of the southwestern gate of the Rila Monastery. Their powerful motorcycles are parked nearby. The boy and the girl have covered thousands of kilometres across Asia and Europe before reaching Bulgaria. They have included the Rila Monastery in their Bulgarian itinerary as it is a symbol, a sanctuary of Eastern Orthodox faith, of the Bulgarian national spirit, culture and traditions.
In the monastery courtyard, an elderly French wooman is standing in awe of this place of seclusion and worship - a masterpiece rising in the heart of Mt Rila. She wants to spend the night at the monastery, to breathe in the magical mystery of this marvelous site and experience its purifying power. No problem, they tell her. The woman is as joyful as a child, because she will sleep the night at the largest Bulgarian monastery, founded more than a thousand years ago, which will welcome Pope John Paul II just a few days later.
The foreign lady has the opportunity to learn yet another thing about Bulgarian hospitability. An unknown painter has decorated the walls of the church narthex with scenes depicting the demons tormenting sinners in hell. He put among those who have to atone for their sins - offenders, perjurere, thieves, harlots and so on, and the inhospitable, too, though the Bible or the other holy books do not say anything about them, says Dimiter Krustev, the curator of the Monasterys Museum. The Bulgarian people have always been hospitable, and this is reflected in this unusual way not only here, at the Rila Monastery, he adds.
The Head of the Roman Catholic Church will be offered the typical Bulgarian hospitability on May 25. The Hegumen of the Monastery, Bishop Ioan of Dragovitia, will welcome the Pontiff at the Nativity of the Virgin Church, one of the most popular landmarks of Bulgaria and Eastern Orthodoxy. Many people from all parts of the world come to pay respect to the lifework of the father of Bulgarian monasticism, St John of Rila, whose relics are kept here. In the northern part of the monastery church, there is a chapel dedicated to St Nicholas the Miracle Worker of Myra, whose relics are kept in Bari, Italy. Many Eastern Orthodox Bulgarian clergymen make pilgimages to that town.
In the yard, carpenters are hammering together a wooden platform by which the Pontiff will reach the monastery church. From there, passing along another specially made wooden platform, the Pope will cross the yard and go to the Hall of Icons, where he will meet Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. This is one of the largest rooms at the monastery. Until 1961 it housed the monasery museum, founded in 1894. At the end of the 1970s, it was turned into an art gallery and, later on, into an exhibition room for icons.
There are more than 50 icons there, including a mediaeval image of the Theotokos dating from the late 14th or early 15th century. It was probably placed in the chapel of a tower erected in the monastery by the feudal lord Hrelyo in 1335. Krustev cites an interesting fact that speaks for itself: the artist who was assigned to restore this masterpiece of icon-painting some years ago was so inspired that took holy orders after completing his work on the icon.
Catholic priests, including ones from Poland, have made trips and pilgrimages to the Rila Monastery, too, Krustev notes in connection with the upcomic visit of the Pontiff. Their gifts, dating back to 1928, are still kept at the monastery. The curator showed this reporter a typical Catholic crucifix made of bronze, which was discovered three months ago in a cupboard in a monk's cell, and a Catholic rosary. The rosary is 105 cm long, with large, exquisitely carved beads and a heart-shaped wooden plate inscribed "Dei Marie" with a long pendant. It was described in detail as an exhibit in the museum archives on May 9, 1964.
The pontifical visit on May 25, 2002 will add yet another first to the Rila Monsatery's history.
A very small number of people will be admitted to enter the Rila Monastery during Pope John Paul II's visit there on May 25, says Lieutenant Colonel Plamen Deyanov, Director of the Regional Directorate of the Inetrior in Kyustendil.
The place will be cordoned off by the security services as early as 24 May. There will be three road blocks for all people passing through the area and coming down the road that branches off from Highway E-79 and leads to the monastery. After the number of people that has been fixed in advance enter the monastery compound, traffic will be halted.
The ceremony at the Rila Monstaery will be shown on National Television and on a video wall at the National Palace of Cutlure in Sofia.
Bulgaria to Benefit from Papal Visit, Historian Says
Sofia, May 9 (BTA)
Pope John Paul II's visit to Bulgaria later this month will be very beneficial for this country, according to Professor Bozhidar Dimitrov, Director of the National Museum of History. Dimitrov's book The Papacy and Bulgaria was press launched here May 9 (this English version of the title is suggested by BTA).
"The papal visit will have an indirect positive impact on the country Euro-Atlantic integration," Dimitrov said. He described as "groundless fears" suggestions that the event may shake the foundations of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
The Papacy and Bulgaria is dedicated to the upcoming visit. It was on sale at the Sofia Book Fair.
The book is published in separate Bulgarian, Russian and English versions by the Bulgarian Diplomatic Review magazine.
The author reviews the 1,200-year-long history of Bulgaria's relations with the Holy See. The book is richly illustrated with reproductions of material kept at the papal archives.
For First Time, Bulgarian National TV Admitted to Pontiff's Personal Chapel
Sofia, May 10 (BTA)
A documentary entitled Between Fear and Hope. Pope John Paul II: A Long Journey to Bulgaria premiered on Bulgarian National Television (BNT) May 10.
The film, made by journalist Irina Nedeva, offers a glimpse behind the walls of the smallest state in the world where preparations for Pope John Paul II's visit to Bulgaria are underway.
Nedeva explores the relations between the Vatican and Bulgaria. However, she does not follow the notorious "Bulgarian connection", as Bulgaria's alleged involvement in the attempt on the Pontiff's life in 1981 was called at the time, but studies the genuine links between Bulgaria and the Holy See over the centuries.
The crew have filmed their interviews with four of the cardinals who will accompany the Pope during his Bulgarian visit: Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State of the Holy See; Walter Casper, Chairman of the Pontifical Council for the Unity of Christians; Roberto Tucci, the Pope's travel organizer who arranged the Pontiff's visits to another four Eastern Orthodox countries; and Ignatius Mousa, Cardinal Daud, Patriarch Emeritus of Antioch of the Syrians.
For the first time a camera of a foreign TV station - Bulgarian National Television, was allowed into one of the pontifical chapels at the Apostolic Palace: the Redemptoris Mater Chapel, a place for Pope John Paul II's personal prayers, adjoining his apartments. The chapel's reconstruction was completed four years ago. Its walls have a modern "oecumenical" decoration, emphasizing the much desired reunion of the Eastern and the Western church. The stone mosaics on the walls are a meeting point between the Orthodox and Byzantine traditions and are in harmony with the motto on Pope John Paul II's personal coat of arms, "Totus Tuus" ("I am completely yours, O Mary.")
The film introduces to viewers Father Tomas Spidlik, a monk and theologian, and a close friend of Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II).
The crew was allowed to film an audience the Pope gave to a large group of Polish cardinals on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of reforms in the Polish Catholic Church.
The camera takes viewers to the headquarters of the Passionist Order and the Congregation of the Assumption, where the work on the beatification of Blessed Eugene Bossilkov was done. Bossilkov, a Catholic bishop and Passionist in Bulgaria, was executed by firing squad with another three Catholic priests during the communist regime in 1952. Pope John Paul II is expected to declare the priests Blessed during his visit to Bulgaria from May 23 through 26.
The Head of the Roman Catholic Church Is Professional Philosopher and Eminent University Professor
Sofia, May 20 (BTA)
The first Bulgarian book analysing Pope John Paul II's philosophical views has become a fact, Prof. Ivan Kalchev, President of the Bulgarian Philosophical Association, told BTA. Mercy for Man, co-authored by Lilia Antonova, has as its first part Antonova's graduation paper, edited by Kalchev. She defended it brilliantly last year, he said.
Few people know that the incumbent Head of the Roman Catholic Church is a professional philosopher and an eminent university professor, Prof. Kalchev said. The Pope defends the thesis of the eternal value of human life, its inviolability and dignity, Prof. Kalchev said. His philosophical writings Faith and Reason, Love and Responsibility, The Splendour of Truth and The Gospel of Life (which have been translated into Bulgarian and are commented in Prof. Kalchev's book) set forth a deeply humanistic position.
Man must vanquish the evil forces inside and around him and defend his life against encroachments, against what is known as the culture of death, Pope John Paul II maintains.
The co-authors find that the Pope takes a stand on contentious issues such euthanasia and abortions, which he subsumes under murder, and declares himself against their moral and legal legitimation. The Pope categorizes suicide as part of the culture of death, believing that however hard human life may be, suffering helps exalt man.
Prof. Kalchev said the Pope's visit to Bulgaria might influence the Bulgarians' mentality and stop them from thinking in terms of disunity. The Pope is in favour of unity between Christianity and the other religions, and calls for tolerance towards otherness. In this sense, he is not only a great leader, but a great spiritual teacher as well, Prof. Kalchev said.
Furthermore, the Christian canon holds that John Paul II is Jesus Christ's Vicar on Earth and there is nothing strange about his delight in visiting a Christian Orthodox country, according to Prof. Kalchev.
Bishop Eugene Bossilkov's Vestments, Crozier and Mitre Displayed for First Time
Sofia, May 21 (BTA)
A State Security scheme for the handling of Eugene Bossilkov by its communist agents for four years has been published in a documentary collection entitled Eugene Bossilkov (1900-1952), BTA learned from Galya Pindikova, Director at the Council of Ministers' Central Archives Administration. She edited and compiled the collection.
The collection and an exhibition on "Bulgaria and the Vatican: Documented History (9th-20th Centuries)" was unveiled at the Archives Administration May 21.
Some of the first-time exhibits include the original of Pope Pius XII's decree appointing Bossilkov Bishop of Nikopol, two Catholic dictionaries of 1830, Bossilkov's vestments, mitre, crozier and chalice, his doctoral dissertation in Latin, and several books of church discourses on ethical subjects, as well as many letters.
The collection contains a translation of Bossilkov's doctoral thesis on the Union between Bulgaria and Rome in the middle of the 13th century, his personal notes and diary, as well as part of his correspondence in his capacity as parish priest in the village of Burdarski Geran, apostolic administrator and bishop of Nikopol, Pindikova said. Bossilkov's private correspondence is in the Passionists's archives in Rome.
The published excerpts of Interior Ministry records throw light on Bossilkov's arrest. The documents include a record of investigative proceedings, parts of the sentence and the indictment, two death certificates and photos.
The reports of the French Ambassador in Sofia to the Quai d'Orsay on the trial of Catholics in 1952 are part of the collection. "A few hours after the court hearings, Jean-Louis Baudier would send radiograms, describing the developments and the most interesting details," Pindikova said. A letter from Federal Chancellor Adenauer, who defended Monsignor Bossilkov and the other 39 Catholics on trial, has also been included.
Bossilkov was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998. In April 2002, the Pope signed a decree on the beatification of three Bulgarian priests, who were sentenced to death and executed with Bossilkov in 1952. Their beatification will be announced officially during the Pope's visit to Bulgaria this week.
Items from Vatican Secret Archives Exhibited at National Library in Sofia
Sofia, May 16 (BTA)
The outstanding 19th century Bulgarian statesman Dragan Tsankov maintained close contacts with the Holy See. Little known evidence of that is a diploma he received from Pope Pius IX in 1861, BTA learnt from Lyubomir Georgiev of the National Library archives department. In 1860 Tsankov headed a group of activists who sought to oppose the Greek spiritual oppression in Bulgaria by a Union with the Roman Catholic Church.
Tsankov's papal diploma is among scores of documents that are shown for the first time to the public in an exhibition at the Sts Cyril and Methodius National Library. The exhibition is entitled "The Catholic Church in Bulgaria" and has been arranged by the Bishops' Conference of Bulgaria.
Among the exhibits are late 18th century and early 19th century documents in the Ottoman Turkish language, including a decree by Sultan Abdul Azis on construction of a Catholic church and a Catholic school in Adrianople.
On display are also photos of the Bulgarian Catholic schools in Adrianople, Yambol and Sofia and of people, including Bishop Kirik Kourtev and Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli who was later to become Pope John XXIII.
Mgr. Roncalli was apostolic visitator in Bulgaria between 1923 and 1934, and this period, in Georgiev's words, saw the establishment of close contacts between himself and the Bulgarians. Mgr. Roncalli would say later than there was always a candle lit on his window and his home was always open for a Bulgarian in need of shelter.
Pope Paul John II is presented in the exhibition as a poet, but he has signed all his poems as Karol Wojtyla.
Among the copies of documents from the Vatican Secret Archives is a letter from the 17th century historian, politician and Sofia Archbishop Peter Bogdan Bakshev, a 1612 report by Sofia Bishop Peter Sulinat. Sulinat was a major figure in the Bulgarian Catholic community. As historian Nikola Milev put it, his arrival opened a new chapter in the development of Catholicism in Bulgaria.
Direct evidence exists that Bishop Antoni Bechik of Nikopol visited the St Paul Basilica in Rome and the Apostolic Basilica in 1746. This goes to show that Catholicism did not vanish with the crushing of the Chiprovtsi Uprising in 1688, Georgiev says. The exhibition shows records of the military activity of Major Georgi Peyachevich, one of the leaders of the Chiprovtsi Uprising.
There are records of the work of the Banat teacher Leopold Kosilkov - an activist of the revival of Bulgarians in that part of Romania, a book he has written and a letter revealing details about a Plovdiv-based society of Bulgarian Catholics whose aim was to work with Catholics in Banat.
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