site.btaPope Francis Gives PM Borissov Audience on Occasion of Day of Slav Letters

Vatican, May 25 (BTA exclusive by Hristo Petrov) - Pope Francis Friday gave an audience to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who is visiting the Vatican on the occasion of the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture and of Slav Letters, May 24.

The Prime Minister was first received at the courtyard of the papal residence by the Swiss Guard.

The Pope received Borissov in the personal library of the pontiff. The Prime Minister was then followed by the members of the Bulgarian delegation whom Borissov introduced personally. The delegation included Culture Minister Boil Banov, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences President Yulian Revalski, university rectors, Sofia Philharmonic head Naiden Todorov, as well as other academics and Bulgarian Ambassador to the Vatican Kiril Topalov. The clerics in the delegation included Anthony, Metropolitan of Western and Central Europe, the Metropolitan of Stara Zagora Cyprian, as well as representatives of the Catholic Church and other religious denominations.

Borissov invited Pope Francis to visit Bulgaria, expressing the hope that this could happen in 2019. The Pope accepted the invitation with obvious pleasure, after which the Bulgarian Prime Minister presented him with a painting depicting St. John of Rila by Bulgarian artist Pavel Mitkov, a copy of the Tetraevangelion of Ivan Alexander kept at the British Library in London, as well as ready-to-plant 33 attar-of-roses for the papal garden.

Borissov's visit to the Vatican ended with a meeting with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.