Coinciding with the Easter festivities that Orthodox and Catholics will celebrate together this year, an ecumenical conference organized by the two Churches was held in the Bulgarian town of Svistof, on the Danube, on 26 March. The Catholic Bishop of Nicopoli Petko Hristov, the Metropolitan of Veliko, Tarnovo Gregorio, the Mayor of Svistof Svetoslav Blagov, all the Orthodox and Catholic priests of the city and diocese, men and women religious, and many faithful, participated in the conference. In their opening remarks Metropolitan Gregori and Bishop Hristov linked the ecumenical conference to the feast of the Annunciation. “The two sister churches – said the Metropolitan – are divided by barriers that do not correspond to the Gospel, and this demonstrates that with a little good will they could be overcome”. The speakers discussed the following topics: “The icon in the Orthodox church and its significance”, examined by the painter Liudmil Krumov, and “The Virgin Mary – image of the Church”, explored by the parish priest of the cathedral of Russe, Father Walter Gorra. Discussion also focused on the introduction of religious education in schools, the Christian roots of Europe and the phenomenon of bullying among the young.
