In the front lines with the poor” “

Twenty years with the poor and the needy. Caritas Bulgaria recalls its foundation, in 1993, and it does so in its own way. Every day last week was dedicated to a group of people in difficulty with the presentation of their problems and a special prayer. The elderly, the disabled, the homeless, drug addicts, single mothers, refugees were the main theme. Over the past two decades the charity organization of the Church has changed, following the pace of Bulgarian society as it went from communism to democracy. This process is still ongoing, as can be seen in Sofia’s everyday life. Iva Mihailova, for Sir Europe, addressed the issue with Emanouil Patashev, secretary general of Caritas Bulgaria. What is the balance of the past twenty years? “Those have been very intense years, characterized by profound changes throughout Bulgarian society. Caritas has been a part of this intense process. The first years after the fall of communism the population was hunger-stricken and we distributed huge amounts of humanitarian aid. In 1996, one of the toughest economic times in the recent history of the country, we provided significant support to many families. Slowly, the charity organization began to take shape and to work in a more professional and effective way”. At the beginning of your activity, the authorities denied the registration of the name Caritas Bulgaria for two years as it included the word “Catholic”. Today, however, Caritas is a valued and respected partner. How did this change come about?”Yes, it’s true, in 1993, when Caritas was set up in Bulgaria, authorities treated us with great suspicion. At the time our country was experiencing a proliferation of sects of all kinds, from abroad, and for some bureaucrats the word ‘Catholic’ which appeared in our name presented a threat. Slowly, even through Caritas, many people have come to know the Catholic Church. In fact we are now a sought-after partner in the social sphere both by the authorities and by other non-profit bodies”. What is the major challenge you are called to face today? “In my opinion our organization will have to identify priority areas on which we must focus our efforts. We are in the front lines with the needy, we take track of their problems. Unfortunately our resources are limited and we continue counting on the financial support of other European Caritas. But we managed to obtain state funding for some of our activities”. In recent months, Bulgaria became the scenario of popular protests. How do you view the situation?”Many people have no faith in the future and no hope, and they see no way out. In the last months the government made a series of mistakes and nobody wanted to take responsibility. The problem is that an alternative is nowhere to be seen. This insecurity also blocked social reforms. Obviously this increases poverty even further”. What is the most vulnerable group of Bulgarian society? “The most vulnerable are the elderly, owing to modest pensions and the lack of access to health and social services. Lately, with the transition to digital television, many of them cannot no longer watch TV, which is still a ‘companionship’, as their devices have no decoder. This makes them feel even more lonely and oppressed because they cannot afford a decent life. We have launched a program called ‘household care’, for the elderly and the sick. We try to give them some ‘companionship’ and instil joy of life”. In Bulgaria there are some 12 thousand refugees, many of them are Syrians. But there have recently been acts of xenophobia against them. And some social groups consider them a social threat. “Acts of violence or hostility against refugees, who already suffered so much, are not acceptable. It’s repugnant to do politics on the shoulders of the poor and the defenceless. The truth is that authorities weren’t prepared for such large inflows and people are under the false belief that migrants use the resources allocated for Bulgarians. I hope that the good reason and humanity will continue to prevail”.