editorial" "
The intervention of the interreligious committee of intellectuals was decisive for the Holy Father’s visit to Bulgaria from 23 to 26 May Bulgaria is receiving John Paul II: the preparations have been numerous, both at the material and at the spiritual level. The churches and the places that the Holy Father will visit have been reconstructed and restored. Thanks to the visit, the Catholics of the Latin rite of Sofia may see their yearning to have a real church of their own realized. For their previous church was destroyed during the second world war, and the faithful congregated thereafter to pray in a theatre. The fall of Communism inspired the hope in Catholics that a new church would be constructed, but they had to await the journey of John Paul II to Bulgaria for the final decision. Preparations began with the invitation made to the Pope: the first invitation was made by the country’s Catholic Episcopal Conference. Subsequently the Bulgarian government repeated the invitation. A group of intellectuals then promoted a committee to encourage the journey of John Paul II. The Pope then accepted this “invitation” made by a large number of people of different faiths. The Catholics are happy about the Pope’s visit: it will strengthen them in the faith and represent another sign of their belonging to the great Catholic family. At the present time the Catholic minority has been mobilized and, with the help of men of good will, have prepared the Holy Father’s welcome. At the outset a large part of the Orthodox majority expressed reservations and even disquiet about the forthcoming visit of John Paul II. But with the “involuntary” aid of the media many people have changed their mind. Indeed, over the last twenty days or so the theme “Catholicism” was given greater coverage by the media than during the whole of the 45 years of the Communist regime. In some cities the Orthodox prepared demonstrations against the visit; but the Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim himself intervened to tranquillize the community. He declared that John Paul II is welcome in the country. In everyday life in Bulgaria there are no problems in relations between Catholics and Orthodox, but the greater part of the Orthodox hierarchy is unfortunately mistrustful of Catholicism and remote from the ecumenical spirit. This attitude is perhaps the result of the absence of religious education and the formation of an atheist community during the half century of Communist rule.
