Vincentius Eugenio Bossilkoff

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Vincentius Eugenius Bossilkoff CP or Eugenio Bossilkov or Eugen Bossilkof (born November 20, 1900 in Belene , † October 5, 1952 in Sofia ) was a Bulgarian Catholic bishop of the Nicopolis diocese . He is considered a martyr in the Catholic Church and was beatified on March 15, 1998 by Pope John Paul II .

Life

The young Bossilkoff, son of a peasant family, was sent to the Passionist School when he was 11 years old , as this order had worked hard for the Catholics in northern Bulgaria since 1781. He completed his studies in Mook ( Netherlands ) and Wezembeek ( Belgium ) and was ordained a priest on July 20, 1926 , as a priest he was a member of the Congregation of the Passion . He finished his studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome .

After his return as a pastor, he focused his work on pastoral care for young people . When Bulgaria entered the Second World War (1944), Bossilkoff helped many Jews to flee and, with further actions, saved the lives of thousands of Jews living in Bulgaria. With the occupation of Bulgaria by the Soviet Union , a systematic persecution and cruel terror against all religions began .

On July 26, 1947, he was appointed Bishop of Nicopolis and on October 7, 1947, he was appointed to his office. As early as 1947 he was then put under surveillance by the communist Bulgarian government for use in the faith . Bossilkoff was arrested on July 16, 1952, and the trial against him and other people persecuted resulted in a death sentence by shooting. The execution of the sentence took place on October 5, 1952, making him a martyr of the Bulgarian Catholic Church . The day of remembrance for him was set for November 11th.

As early as 1952, Pope Pius XII. honored the life and martyrdom of Bossilkoff with his encyclical Orientales ecclesias .

In his sermon on the beatification of March 15, 1998, Pope John Paul II named the martyr bishop a person who worked tirelessly for his community and who approached martyrdom without hesitation. He further said:

“Bishop Bossilkoff became the shining glory of the Church in his country. He was a fearless witness and one of the many victims executed by atheist communism in Bulgaria. "

In 1999 Vincent Eugenius Bossilkoff was rehabilitated by the highest Bulgarian court .

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Remarks

  1. ↑ The data in the biographies mentioned differ in part.
personal data
SURNAME Bossilkoff, Vincentius Eugenio
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bossilkof, Eugen; Bossilkov, Eugenio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bulgarian Bishop of Nicopolis
DATE OF BIRTH 20th November 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH Belene
DATE OF DEATH 5th October 1952
Place of death Sofia