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| Pope Francis and Boyko Borissov - Prime of Bulgaria |
While in Bulgaria for a two-day visit, Pope Francis appealed today to the European leaders to address the problem of deep economic inequality and the fall in birth rates that have created an "ice curtain", as he said, between the richer and poorer countries of Europe.
The Holy Father said that this gap is fueling the immigration: "Bulgaria is facing the consequences of the emigration of the last decades. Over 2 million of its citizens have left in search of a better life and more opportunities. Bulgaria should also deal with a phenomenon that I would call the "New Winter", the demographic problem that has fallen like ice-breaks over a large part of Europe and this reflects the fall of the confidence for the future. "Bulgaria, which joined the European Union in 2007, is the poorest EU country. Over two million Bulgarians left the country since the collapse of communism. After his visit to Bulgaria, the Holy Father will go to North Macedonia - Mother Teresa's birthplace.
Francis, whose papacy, as well as that of his predecessor, has not escaped the shock caused by allegations of sexual abuse of priests with minors, has made his priority to improving the interfaith dialogue, yet the sacred synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church rejected the idea of participating in a common prayer for peace, scheduled to take place on a Sofia square on Monday.