As is traditional, on May 24 Pope Benedict XVI received in audience a Bulgarian government delegation led by President Rosen Plevneliev. Pope Benedict XVI delivered an address to the Bulgarian people, who have managed to preserve the virtues and deeds of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
That Bulgaria is a good neighbour, a stable and predictable country, was highlighted during the meeting between the Bulgarian President and the head of the Roman Catholic Church. They exchanged views on the economic situation in Europe. “In the Vatican, they believe that the Bulgarians have achieved something that nobody else has managed to achieve - stability, which may be developed with growth,” President Plevneliev told reporters. This cannot be achieved with new debts, the Head of State said, and emphasised that future generations of Bulgarians will have no debt burden, which many countries in Europe currently were accumulating. The younger generation, however, must participate in the talks to end the crisis, the President said.
Rosen Plevneliev renewed the invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Bulgaria at a time convenient to him. From Bulgaria, the Holy Father can send a strong message, as from an island of stability, to almost two billion people on the planet.
Some of the unique documents related to Bulgarian history which are stored in the Vatican should be registered under UNESCO procedures as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage, President Plevneliev proposed during meetings at the Holy See. We must present our history, because we have much to be proud of, President Plevneliev told journalists.
The Bulgarian Head of State gave Pope Benedict XVI a replica of the icon of the Arkhangelsk council in 1836 by Dimitar Zograf. The original icon is stored at the Plovdiv holy metropolitanate. At the Vatican, the President also met with Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
In Rome, Rosen Plevneliev paid homage at the tomb of St. Cyril in the Basilica of San Clemente. The President laid flowers at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the monument to Ivan Vazov.
Later today, President Plevneliev will meet representatives of Italian companies. At the Bulgarian Embassy in the Italian capital, the President opened the reception on the occasion of May 24, the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature.