A few days after the official confirmation by Brussels of the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the European Union from 1st January 2007, the first inter-religious conference in Bulgaria was held in the city of Russe, seat of the diocese of Nicopoli, on 29-30 September. Organized by the Bulgarian Catholic Church, the theme of the conference was: “Christianity and united Europe”. Guests included the Apostolic Nuncio Monsignor Giuseppe Leanza, the Bishop of Nicopoli the Most Rev. Petko Hristov, the bishop of Catholics of Byzantine rite Hristo Projkov, Orthodox Metropolitan of Russe Neophit, Metropolitan of Vidin Dometian, and representatives of the Protestant Churches and of the Armenian Church. “Conceived in preparation for the Third European Ecumenical Assembly to be held at Sibiu”, explained Father Walter Gorra, delegate of the Bulgarian Bishops’ Conference for Sibiu, the meeting was “an excellent example of interfaith dialogue that tells us that it is possible for us to live, work and discuss together, thus fostering mutual understanding, in a spirit of love for each other – said the President of the Bulgarian Bishops’ Conference, Mons. Hristo Projkov, in a comment to SIR -. With our millenarian Christian history we can contribute a great deal to the construction of a more Christian and more human Europe, thanks to collaboration and mutual assent”. Some of the delegates also looked forward to the assembly in Sibiu. According to Orthodox Metropolitan Neofit “small steps are very important in the journey towards unity. Dialogue between the religions helps to build a society of peace and prosperity”. Together with Greece, Bulgaria and Romania will be the only countries with an Orthodox majority in the EU. There are fears on both sides: the suspicions of Western Europe about Bulgaria and Romania, and the fears felt by these two countries of losing their own Orthodox tradition. According to Goergi Bakalov, Bulgarian academic, “Christian values cannot be divided into those that are Catholic and those that are Orthodox: they are values common to all Christians”.
