site.btaBulgarian Delegation Led by President Radev to Be Received in Audience by Pope Francis

Bulgarian delegation led by President Rumen Radev will be received in audience by His Holiness Pope Francis on Thursday. The head of State is on a two-day visit to the Vatican and Italy.

The Bulgarian delegation is traditionally received by the head of the Roman Catholic Church on the occasion of the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture and Slav letters, May 24. It includes representatives of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Catholic denomination in Bulgaria, government officials and public figures.

On Thursday, there will also a meeting between Radev and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Later in the day, at the Basilica of San Clemente, where the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius officiated for the first time in the Slavonic language, Radev will attend a Liturgy, led by Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe. The President will also visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Adrian II blessed the Bulgarian alphabet in the 9th century.
 
Within the framework of his visit, President Radev is expected to pay tribute to the monuments of Ivan Vazov and Captain Petko Voyvoda in Rome.