Pope in Bulgaria says he walks in footsteps of St. John XXIII

People wait for Pope Francis to lead the "Regina Coeli" prayer in Alexander Nevsky Square in Sofia, Bulgaria, May 5, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) 

May 5, 2019
Vatican News

SOFIA, Bulgaria - Pope Francis prayed the Regina Coeli before the icon of Our Lady of Nessebar, in St. Aleksander Nevsky Square, and recalled his predecessor.

It was here, in Bulgaria, said Pope Francis, that the future John XXIII “learned to esteem the traditions of the Eastern Church."

His diplomatic and pastoral experience here left “so deep a mark on his pastor’s heart” that he set out to promote the ecumenical dialogue “which received such a notable impulse during the Second Vatican Council." In a sense, said Pope Francis, “we can thank this land for the sage and inspired intuition of “Good Pope John."
 
Bulgaria is an Orthodox country where Catholics make up a half-percent out of a population of around seven million people. Still, Pope Francis described Bulgaria as a “crossroads where various religious expressions encounter one another and engage in dialogue."

The fact he would be meeting with representatives of different communities, he said, was “a sign of the desire of all to pursue the increasingly necessary journey towards “the culture of dialogue as a path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard."

Before praying the Regina Coeli, the pope reminded those present that “Christ is alive, and He wants you to be alive! He is with you and He never abandons you."

“When you feel you are growing old out of sorrow, resentment or fear, doubt or failure, He will always be there to restore your strength and your hope."

Pope Francis final prayer was that Bulgaria might always be “a land of encounter. A land in which, transcending all cultural religious and ethnic differences, you can continue to acknowledge and esteem each other as children of the one heavenly Father."

After meeting with Bulgaria’s authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in Sofia, Pope Francis met Patriarch Neophyte and the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church at the Synod Palace in the capital.

"This meeting, which I have greatly desired, follows that of Saint John Paul II with Patriarch Maxim during the first visit of the Bishop of Rome to Bulgaria," the pope said in his speech to the church authorities. "It also follows in the footsteps of Saint John XXIII, who, in the years he lived here, became greatly attached to this people, 'so simple and good,' valuing their honesty, their hard work and their dignity amid trials.

"Here, as a guest welcomed with affection, I experience a deep fraternal nostalgia, that healthy longing for unity among children of the same Father that was felt with growing intensity by Pope John during his time in this city," Pope Francis said.

"I appreciate the gracious welcome given to my envoys, whose presence has increased in recent years, and the cooperation shown with the local Catholic community, especially in the area of culture," Pope Francis said. "I am confident that, with the help of God, and in his good time, these contacts will have a positive effect on many other dimensions of our dialogue.

"In the meantime," the pope concluded, "we are called to journey and act together in order to bear witness to the Lord, particularly by serving the poorest and most neglected of our brothers and sisters, in whom he is present. The ecumenism of the poor."

The pope also spoke of the many Christians in Bulgaria who “endured suffering for the name of Jesus, particularly during the persecution of the last century." He called this “the ecumenism of blood," and referred to those who suffered as “witnesses of Easter."

The pope also cited Byzantine saints Cyril and Methodius,  who were “daring enough to translate the Bible into a language accessible to the Slavic peoples, so that the divine Word could precede human words." They remain “a model of evangelization and a challenge to proclaim the Gospel to the next generation."

While “respecting our own traditions and distinctive identities," we need to help one another find ways of passing on the faith to young people, said the pope. Otherwise, they risk putting their trust “in the deceitful siren songs of a consumerist society."