During the Christmas holidays the Bulgarian media presented various features and reports on the life of Catholics in the country and their traditions. This was something new, given the usual neglect of the Catholic minority. The events that particularly drew the attention of the media included the fruitful collaboration between municipal authorities and the Church in the mainly Catholic town of Rakovski, with various projects in educational, cultural and sporting activities, and the peace march in the little town of Kalojanovo, situated close to Plovdiv. One of the most important Bulgarian dailies declared: “The fact that the Catholic priests of Sofia, although they are foreigners, celebrate Mass in Bulgarian, and preach by speaking concretely of the problems of the local community, is impressive”. The Catholic point of view was also sought in the programme broadcast by the national BTN TV channel “New Year’s Day together” in which representatives of the Jewish and Islamic communities and of the Armenian Church also intervened. In this way Bulgaria, a country seeking integration in the EU, is giving proof of its aspiration to distinguish itself by its multi-religious presence.” What’s striking is that the media show the Catholic Church in a positive light. It’s right that the necessary space should be given in the media to the various confessional minorities present in the country”, says Albena Chobanova, professor of communications at the “New Bulgarian” University. “More however could be done in this direction adds Father Blagovest Vangelov editor in chief of the Catholic paper “Istinia Veritas” -. The media need to be better informed about religious culture because events are not always reported and explained in the right way”.
