Bulgarian PM, Pope Leo discuss war in Ukraine, AI

The war in Ukraine and the role of the Vatican as a mediator for negotiations were also among the topics of a meeting between Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov and Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 23, according to a post on Facebook by the Bulgarian government.

Pope Leo received Zhelyazkov in audience on the eve of the day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, on which Bulgaria celebrates Bulgarian Education and Culture.

The strengthening of the diplomatic role of the Vatican is visible and this is a position that deserves attention and deserves appreciation from all sides, Zhelyazkov said after the talks.

He expressed hope that Russia would also accept this mediation.

Zhelyazkov said that the Vatican is a neutral, but at the same time humanitarian and humanely engaged territory and can serve as a real bridge for finding a temporary and lasting solution.

“Everything is a matter of good will and good desire,” he said.

Zhelyazkov described Pope Leo as a committed preacher, who, in his words, will increasingly take on the role of a diplomat.

“We even talked about artificial intelligence and its dimensions, about how human virtues should not be replaced by the virtual environment,” Zhelyazkov said.

He said that the upbringing of the younger generation is also a key issue for the future.

Issues from the agenda of the church community in Bulgaria were also discussed during the meeting.

On behalf of the Bulgarian delegation, Zhelyazkov presented the Pope with an omophorion – a liturgical vestment, a symbol of spiritual and episcopal authority, with an early Christian symbol of the “Good Shepherd”.

The omophorion was made especially for the occasion in Bulgaria by Nina Dimitrova, an established expert on church vestments.

(Photos via the Bulgarian government’s Facebook page)