Eugene Bossilkov

Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	15 March 1998, Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II
Feast	November 13

Eugene Bossilkov, born Vincent Bossilkov (b. 16 Nov 1900-11 Nov 1952), was a member of the

Communist campaign in Bulgaria against religion. He had studied in Rome for his doctorate at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and became a parish priest in the Danube Valley. After becoming bishop, in 1952 he was arrested, together with many other religious, and executed for ostensible crimes against the state. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II

in 1998.

Life

Vincent Bossilkov was born to a family of

priesthood

in 1926.

He had returned to Bulgaria in 1924 and had pursued theological studies. In 1927 he went to

Danube River valley. Here his reputation for scholarship grew, and he was noted for his work with the youth of the parish.^[2]

In the wake of

Apostolic Delegate, seized Catholic Church property, and suppressed the religious congregations. In 1952 the government began to make mass arrests of church officials. On July 16, police seized Bossilkov in Sophia.^[3]^[4]

Martyrdom

Bossilkov suffered both physical and mental torture in prison, where he was told to confess to being the leader of a Catholic conspiracy to subvert Communism.^[5] At a political "show trial", two guns supposedly seized from the Catholic college in Sophia were presented as evidence. The pistols were part of a museum exhibit.^[5] Bossilkov was found guilty and the official sentence against him read;

By virtue of articles 70 and 83 of the
imperialist countries and gave them information of a confidential nature. The accused convoked a diocesan council in which it was decided to combat Communism through religious conferences, held in Bulgaria, activities called ' a mission.' No appeal of his sentence is possible.^[6]

Bossilkov was executed by firing squad in the grounds of the prison on the night of November 11 at 11:30 pm. Thrown into a mass grave, his body was never recovered.^[7] Pope Pius XII had mentioned Bossilkov's being condemned to death in his encyclical letter "Orientales Ecclesias" to the Oriental Churches in 1952.^[7] It was not until 1975 that the bishop's death was confirmed, however; when a Bulgarian minister visited the Vatican and was asked directly by Pope Paul VI what happened to the bishop, he answered that Bossilkov had died in prison 23 years before.^[7]

Beatification

During the 1980s, supporters gathered evidence regarding Bossilkov's life and death, and put before the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. At meetings in 1993 and 1994 the Congregation declared it was favourable to the cause of Bossilkov as a Catholic martyr from a theological and juridical perspective. On March 15, 1998, Pope John Paul II declared Bossilkov "Blessed".^[7]^[8]

In 2010 Eugene Bossilkov was reabilited by Bulgarian parliament.[9]

References

^ Mercurio, R: The Passionists, p. 43. The Liturgical Press, 1991
^ Hogland, V:"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",
^ ^a ^b Mercurio, R: The Passionists, p. 179. The Liturgical Press, 1991
^ https://caritas.bg/novini/news-caritas/den-na-karitas-blazhenite-machenitsi-evgeniy-kamen-pavel-i-yosafat/
^ ^a ^b Hogland, V:"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",
^ "Condemnation and Martyrdom of Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P." Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hogland, V:"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P." Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine,
^ https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1998/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19980315_beatificazione.html
^ https://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Actualite/La-Bulgarie-rehabilite-des-pretres-et-des-religieux-victimes-de-proces-politiques-_NG_-2010-08-09-555333

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy

[1] Mercurio, R: The Passionists, p. 43. The Liturgical Press, 1991

[2] Hogland, V:"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",

[Mercurio,_R_p._179-3] Mercurio, R: The Passionists, p. 179. The Liturgical Press, 1991

[4] ttps://caritas.bg/novini/news-caritas/den-na-karitas-blazhenite-machenitsi-evgeniy-kamen-pavel-i-yosafat/

[cptryon.org-5] Hogland, V:"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",

[6] "Condemnation and Martyrdom of Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P." Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2007-08-14.

[ReferenceA-7] Hogland, V:"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P." Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine,

[8] ttps://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1998/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19980315_beatificazione.html

[9] ttps://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Actualite/La-Bulgarie-rehabilite-des-pretres-et-des-religieux-victimes-de-proces-politiques-_NG_-2010-08-09-555333

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