Pope visits Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. (News in Brief).

Baku--John Paul II's 96th foreign trip commenced May 23 with a visit to one of the world's smallest Catholic communities, Azerbaijan. The entire Catholic population--only a few hundred--was bolstered for the occasion by Catholics from neighbouring countries (with the exception of Armenia, which has ongoing political problems with Azerbaij an), local Orthodox Christians (one eparch under Moscow's jurisdiction), and many Muslims. John Paul met with leaders of these and of the local Jewish community during his stay. Though the state is officially secular, the overwhelming majority of Azeris are Muslim.

Highlights of the Pope's 24-hour stay included a Mass, attended by over 3000, at the Sports Palace in the capital, Baku. In his homily, the Pope mentioned the heroism of Azeris who died for the faith during the Communist regime. Stalinists destroyed the only Catholic church in Baku in the 1930s, and the Azeri Church presently operates out of a small suburban house run as a mission by Salesian priests. Before leaving Azerbaijan, President Geidar Ahieu presented the Pope with a plot of land in the centre of Baku for a future church. The foundation stone received the papal blessing at the Mass.

Lack of an official episcopal residence in Baku also resulted in an interesting "first" for the Pope. He stayed over at the comparatively humble Hotel Irshad. Proprietor of the 13-room establishment, Vugar Mirzoyev, though "very surprised," declared, "Of course I'm proud." The visit here marked the Pope's continuous effort to heal the divisions within Christianity.

Sofia--On arrival in Bulgaria the Pope was driven to St. Alexander Nevski Square for the official welcome. Patriarch Maxim of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (6 1/2 million faithful), who had previously expressed many reservations about meeting with the Pope, was on hand accompanied by a dozen of his Metropolitans. Though afflicted by internal disputes, the Orthodox Church co-exists peacefully with the Catholics and their three bishops. One reason for this is that confiscated church properties during the Communist years were not given over to the Orthodox. "There is an atmosphere of reciprocal understanding," stated one parish priest.

Building on this atmosphere, the Pope celebrated the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius on May 25 in the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevski. Soon after he became Pope, John Paul had declared these two saints as co-patrons of Europe; he now hailed them as "a spiritual bridge between Eastern and Western traditions." The brother saints were sent in the ninth century, by the Patriarch of Constantinople to evangelize the Slays, hut before embarking on this task, they authenticated their mission by a visit to the Pope in Rome.

In gratitude for the welcome he received from the Patriarch and other church members, the Pope made them the gift of the use of the church of Sts. Vincent and Anastasias in Rome, located near the Fountain of Trevi. John Paul also noted Bulgaria's aspirations to join the European Union and expressed support for its efforts. He ended his trip on May 26 with the beatification of three Bulgarian priests, one of the Byzantine-Catholic rite, the other two of the Latin-rite, all three Assumptionists, who were executed by the Communists in 1952, together with Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, who was beatified in 1998.

In a Zenit interview, Archbishop Mcnini, the papal nuncio in Sofia, expressed satisfaction with the Orthodox response to the Pope's visit. Recognizing Bulgaria as a major link to Russia, he thought that Patriarch Maxim might communicate his now more positive reaction to Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow. Russia has been the outstanding holdout towards the Pope's initiatives in reconciling with the Orthodox churches. Their response to the establishment of Catholic dioceses in the country earlier this year continues to be completely negative. In fact, one bishop, Jerzy Mazur of Irkutsk, a Polish national, has been denied re-entry into Russia. He continues to contact his faithful by telephone. No reason was given for the Russian edict.

In addition to Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, over the last three years, Pope John Paul has personally met with Orthodox leaders in Ukraine, Romania, Georgia, Kazakstan, Armenia, Greece, Syria, Jerusalem, and Constantinople as well as making contact with leaders in Yugoslavia and other countries.