Pope Francis and Bulgaria - Memories of the Holy Father

Pope Francis has always been very fond of Bulgarian yogurt, and as a baby in Argentina, he was fed with it. He wore a Bulgarian omophorion during his last service in honour of the "Bulgarian Pope" John XXIII. At the airport, he extended his hand to his Bulgarian translator Strahil Kavalenov, despite his status and the protocol restrictions. These are just some of the moments that connect Pope Francis with Bulgaria. He also shared that his visit to our country in 2019 was one of the most beautiful trips abroad, if not the best!

Professor Kiril Topalov assumed his position as Bulgaria's ambassador to the Vatican only a few months after Pope Francis's election. He recalls that during the presentation of his credentials, the meeting was supposed to last 15 minutes, but Pope Francis conversed with him for an hour and 15 minutes. He kept asking about Bulgaria and knew a lot about its history. Before the Pope's visit to Bulgaria, Professor Topalov had a meeting with him:

"He said: 'Let me tell you, I'm sure many people wonder why I am going to visit Bulgaria. I have a personal reason. My Argentine grandmother fed me Bulgarian yogurt as a baby. And we were very surprised when he said: "I've always dreamed of seeing the country that makes the best yogurt in the world.'""

Andrea Gallerducci is a Vatican journalist and one of the few people who has closely followed the Pope in recent years. He revealed on the Bulgarian National Television programme "Denyat zapochva" (The Day Begins) that he was with the Pope in Bulgaria when he received the Bulgarian omophorion as a gift:

"The Pope was such that when he visited a country, he tried to take from that country's cultural heritage what could be beautiful for others as well. This is a symbol of the connection with Bulgaria."

Gallerducci also mentioned that by wearing the Bulgarian-made omophorion, Pope Francis was honouring the memory of the "Bulgarian Pope", as they called Pope John XXIII, who spent 10 years in Bulgaria as papal nuncio and helped the Bulgarians greatly. Bishop Strahil Kavalenov, who was the translator for Pope Francis during his visit to Bulgaria, spent three days closely accompanying the Pope, describing him as extremely humble and down-to-earth.

photos: BTA/archive

Bishop Strahil Kavalenov, Bishop of the Nikopol Diocese: "I have one memory when the Holy Father got off his plane at Sofia airport. I was warned not to react or greet him, but he turned around and extended his hand to me. That was a gesture I will never forget."

Because of his modesty, the Pope always kept his right hand hidden to prevent it from being kissed as a sign of respect, Bishop Kavalenov further explained. As for his visit to Bulgaria, Pope Francis shared that it was one of the most beautiful trips abroad, if not the most beautiful one!