Vatican City, May 25, 2007 / 10:12 am
On Thursday Pope Benedict XVI met with officials of Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and encouraged both countries to reaffirm their Christian identity as the backbone of their nations and cultures.
The pontiff met with the president of the Bulgarian parliament, Georgi Pirinski, and immediately afterwards with the president of the parliament of Macedonia, Liubisha Georgieyski, both of whom headed up the delegations of their countries that were visiting Rome for the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
Speaking to the Bulgarian delegation, the Pope said their visit was an expression of the nation’s desire to “reaffirm its European tradition deeply impregnated with gospel values. Certainly, given its origin, the history of Bulgaria precedes Christian revelation. But without a doubt, in the Gospel the nation found a source of values, capable of strengthening the culture, the identity and the genius that typifies this people.”
The Pontiff later mentioned the “sad and harsh Communist domination,” but he emphasized that Bulgaria is heading towards “full integration with the other European nations.”