like Christ" and urged the Vatican to tell him stop working.Metropolitan Simeon expressed alarm at the Pope’s condition as the pontiff, frail and short of breath, flew to the Rila monastery by helicopter on the third day of his visit to mostly Orthodox Bulgaria.
The Pope extended a gesture of reconciliation and solidarity to the eastern Orthodox church at the monastery of Saint John of Rila, where he praised eastern monasticism as "a great gift for the whole church," the Voice of America and other news reports said.
RELATIONS
Since his historic visit to nearby Romania in 1999, the pontiff has made clear he wanted to improve relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Twentieth century relations between the two denominations had been overshadowed by decades of Communism and quarrels over the return of church properties after the democratic changes. The Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters that his reconciliation efforts were among the reasons why the Pope continued his travel within the limitations "visible to all."
EX-KING
He was greeted by Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Bulgaria’s ex-king, who returned to his former Communist homeland last year after decades in exile in the West. The meeting came as a moral boost for the prime minister who said In a recent interview with that he wanted to work for Bulgaria’s future within the European Union and NATO with all political parties.
After his meeting with the prime minister the Pope returned to the capital, Sofia, for meetings with the leader of Bulgaria’s Muslim community, Grand Mufti Selim Mehmed and local Catholic leaders, the Voice of America reported.
OUTDOOR MASS
On Sunday, May 26, the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics was scheduled to celebrate a an outdoor Mass in Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv, and beatify three Catholic priests executed by the Communists in 1952.
He earlier cleared Bulgaria of any involvement in an assassination attempt on his life in 1981. A Turkish man, Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot the Pope in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, said the Bulgarian secret service hired him to assassinate the pontiff.
However the pontiff said Friday, May 24, that he "never believed in the so-called Bulgarian connection."
SURPRISE
Reporters traveling with him, have expressed surprise that the Pope has been able to continue his trip. They have noted that throughout the tour, in which he also traveled to the Caspian Sea country of Azerbaijan, the pontiff appeared extremely tired and weak.
While saying mass in Azerbaijan, the Pope asked an aide to finish the service, something he has done often in recent months. His speech is said to be often slow and labored and for the first time the Pope used a motorized lift to help him get on and off the plane.
Church analysts point out however that several senior staff members seem reluctant to encourage the Pope to resign as this will also cost them their jobs.
Incoming Pope’s usually appoint new officials and staff members. The Pope’s trip in Eastern Europe was scheduled to end Sunday, May 26.
