Vatican City, Nov 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm
On Saturday morning, Pope Benedict met with bishops from the formerly communist country of Bulgaria, who he encouraged to be staunch witnesses to Christ in all areas of public life--particularly those where that influence is most needed.
The prelates, members of the Bulgarian Episcopal Conference, had just completed their "ad limina" visit.
In his address, the Pope said that following individual meetings with each of the bishops, he was convinced that "the Catholic Church in Bulgaria is vibrant and wishes to offer its witness to Christ in the society in which she lives."
Despite being a small minority, the Pope said that "the Lord always knows how to compensate for any of our shortcomings and for the lack of means at our disposal.”