After being officially welcomed with state honours in front of the Presidency building in Sofia, Pope Francis held a closed-door meeting with President Rumen Radev.

The Bulgarian President stated after the meeting that being the people of one of the oldest Christian countries, converted to Christianity 12 centuries ago, Bulgarians are welcoming the Pope with the warmest of feelings.

Pope Francis on his part stated that Bulgaria is a bridge between East and West, and has always been conducive to the meeting of different cultures, ethnic groups, civilizations and religions.

“Bulgaria is faced with the consequences of emigration in recent decades of more than two million of its citizens seeking new work opportunities. At the same time the country, like many other countries of the old continent has to cope with what can be described as a new winter – a demographic winter, coming down like an ice curtain over a large part of Europe in consequence of the declining confidence in the future. Furthermore, Bulgaria is facing the phenomenon, resulting from the attempts to cross its borders by people seeking salvation from wars and conflicts and poverty, seeking to reach the wealthiest regions of the European continent, to find new opportunities of existing or simply a safe haven,” Pope Francis said further.

“To all of you, who are familiar with the drama of emigration, I respectfully suggest that you do not close your eyes, your heart or your hand - in accordance with your tradition - to those who knock at your gates,” Pope Francis stated.

In conclusion, the Pope wished  Bulgaria, a country bounded by the great river Danube and by the shores of the Black Sea, a country made fertile by the humble labour of many generations and open to cultural and trade exchange, integrated into the EU and with solid ties with Russia and Turkey, the capability of offering its children a future of hope.