23.05.2025
It is an extraordinary honor for the Bulgarian delegation that this is the first official delegation to call on Pope Leo XIV at the start of his pontificate, said Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov after the audience with His Holiness in the Vatican. We had an interesting meeting with the Holy Father, Mr. Jeliazkov noted and shared his impressions of Pope Leo XIV as a devoted preacher who, in his words, will more and more take the role of a diplomat.
The Prime Minister enumerated the points of his discussion with Pope Leo XIV, regarding faith, the current international and European agenda. We touched even on Artificial Intelligence and its dimensions, on how human virtues should not be replaced by the virtual space, the Prime Minister added. As he put it, the upbringing of the younger generation is likewise a key issue for the future. The meeting discussed issues from the agenda of the church community in Bulgaria.
The war in Ukraine and the role of the Vatican as a mediator for negotiations were also among the points of the discussion at the meeting of Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov with Pope Leo XIV. The consolidation of the diplomatic role of the Vatican is visible and this is a position that deserves attention and merits appreciation from all quarters, Mr. Jeliazkov said and expressed his hope that Russia would agree on such mediation. In the view of the Prime Minister, the Vatican is a neutral but at the same time a humanitarian and humanely committed territory and can be a real bridge for finding a short-term and a long-term solution. It is all a matter of good will and good wish, the Prime Minister emphasized.
On behalf of the Bulgarian delegation, Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov presented to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV an omophorion – liturgy vestment, symbol of spiritual and episcopal power, with the early Christian symbol of “The Good Shepherd”. The omophorion was specially embroidered in Bulgaria for the occasion by Nina Dimitrova, a reputed expert on vestments.
The Secretary of State of the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin with whom Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov also met, was presented an icon depicting St. Prince Boris-Mihail – the Baptizer of the Bulgarian people. The gift relates to the national celebrations of the 1160th anniversary of the Conversion of the Bulgarian people into Christianity. It is a handmade icon of the prominent icon painter Zhelyo Marinov Zhelev.
In addition, this year the Bulgarians mark the centenary of organized visits to Rome and to the Vatican on the occasion of 24 May.
