Bulgarians Welcome Pope, But Rift is Still Bitter

ASSOCIATED PRESS, May 18 —Even as the 70,000 Catholics who live in the majority-Orthodox Bulgaria thronged Masses to celebrate Pope John Paul II's visit and 82nd birthday, posters denouncing the Holy Father also went up around the country, inspired by nationalists and anti-papal elements in the country's Orthodox Church.

For instance, as reported by Associated Press, the town of Veliko Tarnovo, 156 miles from the capital city, Sofia, saw dozens of signs on walls of homes with slogans such as “A Pope —A Heretic,” and “Never a papal visit to Bulgaria.”

At the Mass in Sofia, John Paul beatified three priests murdered by communists in 1952 and paid honor to Orthodox faithful persecuted by the fallen atheist regime. The Bulgarian government, eager for Western good will —and an end to rumors that the old Bulgarian secret service fomented the 1981 attempt on the Pope's life —sent police to look for the source of the posters.

“I am convinced that the Christian and universal values and ideals which you preach so dedicatedly will contribute to building a peaceful and better world,” Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov told the Holy Father.

Pope May Sacrifice Juan Diego Rites to Failing Health

THE NEW YORK TIMES May 26 —Due to his failing health, Pope John Paul II might not be able to preside at the canonizations of Blessed Juan Diego of Guadalupe and other Latin American saints, warned Vatican sources this week.

But papal spokesman Joaquŕn Navarro-Valls told The Times that the Holy Father would attend World Youth Day. “Toronto is certain,” he said. “As for the others, we shall see.”

The Pope, who is suffering from effects of Parkinson's disease, had difficulty celebrating Mass in Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, but The Times noted that this was “the first time Vatican officials had acknowledged that he might have to curb his travel.”

The paper noted that Mexico is a favorite papal destination, “the first country he visited after his election in 1978.” Only twice before has the Holy Father canceled travel plans because of his health.

Navarro-Valls pointed out that the Pope's intellectual powers remain undiminished by illness, telling the paper: “His memory, his ability to plan the future, his sense of humor are all intact. I can tell you that in the daily work of the Curia, he is the one with original ideas, pushing toward the future.”

Pope Offers His Suffering to Cause of Ecumenism

CWNEWS.COM, May 24 —Despite the suffering imposed by his illness, Pope John Paul II will continue to travel and work in the cause of ecumenism —especially his long-deferred dream of reconciling Eastern Orthodox and Catholics, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian unity, told CWNews.com.

Cardinal Kasper acknowledged that he was personally “very concerned” about the Holy Father's health and attributed the current trip to the Pope's embrace of sacrifice for the sake of Christian solidarity.

“We are seeing, at each ceremony, that he has an iron will,” Cardinal Kasper said.

He reminded leaders of the long-estranged Eastern churches “that we want to have fraternal and amicable relations with the Orthodox Church and that we will not impose anything on them.”

Optimistic about the outcome of the trip, Cardinal Kasper said: “This suffering Pope has brought us one step closer to Christian unity.”