Bulgaria's President to Be Received By Pope Francis

President Rosen Plevneliev is on a visit to the Vatican on Monday and Tuesday heading a delegation that will meet with Pope Francis on the occasion of May 24, the national day of culture and Slavic script.

This year's meeting will be dedicated to the 1150th anniversary since Bulgarian ruler Boris I (852-899) launched talks with Pope Nicholas I in 866, at a time Boris was eyeing his people's conversion to Christianity.

The year is considered to mark the beginning of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the Vatican even though a rift between Boris and Nicholas' successor pushed the former to turn to Constantinople instead, with Bulgaria converting to what would later become Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Plevneliev will also meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who paid a visit to Bulgaria earlier this year.

The Bulgarian delegation involves lawmakers and representatives of spiritual and cultural institutions.

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