In the Holy Year of Mercy for all Catholics, on March 20th, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrives in Bulgaria to consecrate the renovated "Assumption Of Mary“ church of Catholics of Eastern rite in Sofia and to discuss the refugee issue at the highest state and church levels.

Pietro Parolin is the youngest Secretary of State of the Vatican, second only to Pope Francis in the hierarchy of the Vatican?

“He graduated from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican and for ten years he has been ecclesiastical diplomat or nuncio in Nigeria, Mexico, Colombia, and in Venezuela during the Chavez regime. He was the first to establish contacts with Vietnam, calling in defence of religious freedom,” says Dimitar Ganchev from the Bulgarian section of the Vatican Radio. “He has worked in difficult conditions and thanks to him a number of important steps were made in Vatican diplomacy. In 2007 he first established contacts with China and Pope Benedict XVI wrote his first letter to Chinese Catholics, which actually remains one of the major documents of his pontificate. Cardinal Parolin is a diplomat, but above all a priest. He says diplomacy is a tool that allows him to be a priest. He says he is a ‘diplomat of the Gospel.’”

In Sofia, Cardinal Parolin will consecrate the Assumption of Mary church of Catholics of Eastern rite - a small community that has existed for more than 160 years and serves as a bridge between the Catholic and Orthodox religion. This gesture could be interpreted in the light of the rapprochement of the Catholic and Orthodox churches at the backdrop of common challenges they face, says the journalist of Vatican Radio.

During his visit, Cardinal Pietro Parolin will also meet President Rosen Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the Chief Mufti of Muslims in Bulgaria, Mustafa Hadji. The program of the guest includes a meeting with Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Neophyte. This meeting was arranged in October last year during a visit of Nuncio Monsignor Anselmo Guido Pecoraro.

“Topics of discussions were set back then, including the refugee crisis, helping the poor and protecting the environment. Before coming to Bulgaria he would pay a visit to Macedonia and the major topic will be precisely refugees, a very topical issue for Bulgaria. So I think there will be news coming from the meeting between Patriarch Neophyte and the Vatican Secretary of State,” Dimitar Ganchev says.

On the issue of refugees representatives of the two churches have different views. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church calls on authorities to stop welcoming more migrants, while the Pope urges governments and people to open borders for them.

“In a declaration signed by Pope Francis and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill during a meeting in Cuba in February this year, it was stated that the two churches have common Christian attitude towards refugees,” Dimitar Ganchev recalls and concludes that the topic will be important in the discussion between Patriarch Neophyte and Cardinal Parolin. “During his meeting with the Bulgarian Patriarch, Nuncio Pecoraro said that the Pope shared the concern of the Orthodox Church related to refugees and pointed out that they must comply with all laws in the countries in which they arrive without enjoying privileges. The refugee issue must be seen from a Christian perspective. On Wednesday the Pope once again called on heads of state in Europe to open their hearts and the doors of their countries to immigrants and refugees.”

 It is also time for a solution to another issue to be found, says Dimitar Ganchev and recalls that the 25th anniversary of restoration of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the Vatican was marked last year, but the basic agreement between the two countries remains unsigned. That is the document which would recognise the Catholic Church as a legal entity in Bulgaria, thus allowing it to establish its presence as in the army, hospitals, prisons, etc.

English: Alexander Markov