Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev attends the canonization ceremony of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII in Rome. Prime Minister of Bulgaria in the period 2001-2005 Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is also present at the unprecedented double canonization event.

Before becoming Pope John XXIII, Monsignor Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was an apostolic visitor to Bulgaria and paid an important role in overcoming the dogmatic obstacles before the wedding of Italian Catholic Princess Giovanna and Orthodox Tsar Boris III, the parents of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Before marrying his wife Spanish aristocrat, doña Margarita, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha also asked the pope for his approval. One of the most exciting meetings of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha with the pope was in 1983 when he gave the Catholic Church the biggest treasure kept by the royal House of Savoy for 530 years - the Shroud of Turin. This way he followed the will of his late uncle Umberto II of Italy.

Both Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II are linked to Bulgaria. Monsignor Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli arrived to Sofia in 1925 and was called ‘the Bulgarian Pope’ not only because of his love for this country, but mostly because his stay here marked the beginning of his great diplomatic career. Monsignor Roncalli played a huge role in helping people after the big earthquake in the town of Chirpan in 1928. He also created food kitchens for the poor and the Bulgarian refugees from Turkey and Greece.

Pope John Paul II is the first pope to visit Bulgaria. This happened in 2002 when the pope declared that the Bulgarian people cannot be linked with the assassination attempt against him in 1981 and refuted the so-called “Bulgarian connection.” In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared Sts. Cyrill and Methodius co-patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia and later the pope supported Bulgaria’s EU membership.

Pope John Paul II is canonized just 9 years after his death. Dimitar Ganchev from Radio Vatican told us more.

“This is the fastest sainthood in modern times and media call it another record of Pope John Paul II. He is known with his wide reforms in the Church during his exceptional 27-year-long papacy. During his funeral, believers claimed he was a saint and we are witnessing how protocol procedures now confirm this. Both Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II are connected to Bulgaria. Pope John XXIII was called the Bulgarian Pope while Pope John Paul II remains in history as one of the greatest supporters of Bulgaria. He provided a temple for the Orthodox Bulgarians in Rome and announced the beautification of 4 Bulgarian martyrs for the Christian faith from the times of communism. The canonization is recognition of two popes who were great global reformers. We should recall the important role of John XXIII for preventing a clash between the West and the Soviet bloc during the Cold War and the contribution of Pope John Paul II for bringing down the Berlin Wall. The canonization goes outside religious frames. It is also a test for Bulgarian state and church institutions and their ability to recognize new saints. These saints can help us keep our Christian faith and show the young generation the right way.”

English version: Alexander Markov