Published: 2023-01-23

Bulgarian Catholics Against the New ‘Socialist’ Holiday System (1970s-80s)

Momchil Metodiev
Zeszyty Łużyckie
Section: Articles
DOI https://doi.org/10.32798/zl.1072

Abstract

Based on recently published archival documents, the article presents the experience of the relatively small Catholic community in Bulgaria, with a view of the campaign for imposition of a new ‘socialist’ holiday system which was introduced in the early 1970s and affected all religious communities in the country. In the context of the Vatican’s “Ostpolitik”, this campaign attracted the interest and criticism of the pope John Paul II personally, especially due to the ban imposed on religious education of children under the age of 16. The article argues that this secularization policy was a proof of an unabated ideological zeal on the part of the Bulgarian authorities until the very end of the 1980s, as they continued to follow with the campaign despite international criticism for violations of religious freedoms.

Keywords:

Catholics, socialism, new holiday system, civil rituals, Vatican’s “Ostpolitik”

Similar Articles

1 2 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Download files

Citation rules

Metodiev, M. (2023). Bulgarian Catholics Against the New ‘Socialist’ Holiday System (1970s-80s). Zeszyty Łużyckie, 58(2), 85–108. https://doi.org/10.32798/zl.1072

Cited by / Share


This website uses cookies for proper operation, in order to use the portal fully you must accept cookies.