Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev Received in Audience by Pope Francis

A Bulgarian delegation, led by President Roumen Radev, was received in an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican on 26th of May, a traditional annual meeting at which the head of the Roman Catholic Church gives audience to Bulgarian delegation for the Day of the Bulgarian Education and Culture and the Slavic Script (May 24th).

"Pope Francis acknowledged the Bulgarian people as guardian and distributor of the work of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius," President Radev said after the meeting.

In the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, the Swiss Guards, in their colourful costumes, stood in attention. Before the parade entrance of the palace, the Bulgarian President was welcomed by Georg Gaenswein, the prefect of the papal household and other senior officials of the papal household.

The meeting with President Radev and the delegation took place in the Pope's Library. The meeting lasted for an hour. After that, President Roumen Radev was accepted by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“The visits to the Vatican on the occasion of May 24th, the Day of Slavic Alphabet and Culture, are confirmation of the contribution of the Bulgarian people to the European civilization," President Radev said after the audience with Pope Francis.

"The Holy Father expressed his firm conviction that this tradition of visits by Bulgarian delegations to the Vatican is necessary and will continue," the head of state added.

“The Pope has given wishes for health and prosperity to the Bulgarian peoples," the President added. He said they had a very interesting conversation and during the audience discussed serious issues faced by the world today, including such as the migration problem, and trafficking in people, including children.

According to the Holy Father, the inclusion of young people in Christian values is the way to protect them from temptation. Bulgaria’s Head of State highly appreciated the relations between Bulgaria and the Holy See.

In recognition of his contribution to their development, the President awarded the Order "St. Cyril and Methodius" to Monsignor José Avelino Bettencourt, who is the Head of the Vatican's" Protocol.

Radev gave Pope Francis a copy of an icon of St.Cyril and St. Methodius (the two brothers who created the Slavic alphabet). The Pope gave Radev a bronze plaque depicting St. Martin wrapping his cloak over a poor man.

“Let us not forget that Pope Francis chose to be the voice of the weak and the underprivileged,” Radev noted.

Asked to comment on the visit of a delegation from the Republic of Macedonia to the Vatican, immediately after the audience of the Bulgarian Head of State, Roumen Radev expressed his expectation that after the formation of a government in the Republic of Macedonia, there would be a closer dialogue that would solve the problems, which the two countries had with their shared history. President Radev reminded that Bulgaria was also expecting progress in the negotiations on a bilateral treaty on good neighbourly relations with the Republic of Macedonia.

During the visit, the Bulgarian President and the delegation laid wreaths at the monument of Ivan Vazov and the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the San Clemente Basilica and Santa Maria Mggiore Basilica, where in the IX century, the Pope Adrian II blessed the Bulgarian alphabet, books and the work of the holy brothers St. Cyril and Methodius. The delegation is going to visit the San Paolo ala Regola temple, which was granted by the Vatican for services of the Bulgarian Orthodox community in Rome.