Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva welcomes Pope Francis
05 May 2019 News
Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva welcomed Pope Francis on his visit to Bulgaria. She was part of the official Bulgarian delegation for his apostolic journey in Bulgaria on May 5-7.
‘Pope Francis is a world spiritual leader. As Foreign Minister I can say that at a time when almost every month there is a new crisis, whether caused by religious or ethnic factors, the world needs a spiritual and global leader like Pope Francis and the kind of messages that he has sent: that together we can, and must, live in peace and understanding, that we must preserve our human dignity, that we must be brothers and friends, regardless of the religion that we profess,’ said Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva. ‘Bulgaria is the place where it would indeed be good to see that happen. In his speech Pope Francis said, "Yours is a country of millennia-old tradition, you have always been a bridge between East and West. You are an example of how to live in peace, understanding and dignity, no matter what religion you may profess",’ underscored Zaharieva. In her words, his first message to Bulgaria was a very strong one. ‘I am very happy that it was from Bulgaria that His Holiness sent those messages of peace and understanding, of respect for the differences between us,’ said Ekaterina Zaharieva.
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