Broadcasts of Bulgaria’s first Christian radio station began on 19 October, the day on which the Bulgarian Orthodox Church commemorates the country’s patron saint, St. John of Rila, founder of the famous monastery of Rila, which was also visited by John Paul II. The station is called “Zion”. It was created by the monks of the monastery of Ruen, which is also situated in the same area as that of Rila, i.e. in south-west Bulgaria. For the time being it is only being broadcast on the internet, because Bulgarian law does not permit any new radio frequencies for the next four years. “The programme is addressed at people’s social problems”, says Crastin Apostolov, one of the founders of the radio station. On “Zion” you can hear music of various type, not only Orthodox but also modern, so long as it does not contradict Christian values and ethics. Broadcasts for children are also planned. Some Capuchin friars in Sofia are also thinking of starting a Christian radio station on the web. “Our idea however is rather different the superior of the Capuchins in Bulgaria, Fra Cristoforo Kujok, explained to SIR -; we would like to begin with a lot of contemporary music of Christian inspiration, Italian, American and Bulgarian singer-songwriters, while every so often we will introduce brief reflections and readings from the Gospel”.
