Stranica 1 [1]
OCR
Keds Nosős for Decmmber 1952. REPORTS FROM BULGARIA, hE eS OE EE OE cee SN Se SO See eee ee en, OE ee SE i SO Bulgaria's Sovietization. oe i In recent weeks, world conscience has suddendly been faced again with the oppression in Bulgaria: Bishop Eugen Bossilkoffy head of the Nicopoli diocese, with See in Ruscuk on the Danube, and with him 27 Catholic priests and nine lay men, were accused of espionage for the Vatican and for French intelligence services, of organizing armed resistance, of operating a secret radio station and so on. At the end of the usual and widely publicized trial, early in October, the Bishop and three priests were executeds the other accused were sentenced to prison terms going from ten to twenty years e One of our observers in Turkey - who has always given us meet reliabl informations, as contacts at this borderline can still be established gives some additional details as to the background of this trial. Catholics in Bulgaria form a minoritys about 1% of the total popula- — tion; not even 70,000 out of 7 million, ‘This minority however á$ strongly united and well disciplined. It therefore is a gpuup that has to be taken into account, On the other hand, not involving the majority of the population, it is a safer target for starting a wave © of repression and finding out how far and how strong a total absopp- | tion program can go, There exists indeeed enough evidence to see that this trial will not be the last one, There are three Catholic bishops and about 120 seeuvlar priests (not counting the members of | religious communities) in Bulgaria, Very reliable news have ne that the two remaining bishops = the 75 year old Bishop John Romanoff of Sofia and Bishof Cyril Kurteff of the Greek rite = and thirty more vriests have also heen detained. In official Sofia circles it is stated already that an accusation for espionage is pending against Bishon Romanoff and that he will have to exvect the. same trial and death sentence, as Bisho$ Bossilkoff. According to the same informant - should the trial against the Catholic Church go without too much reaction in the country and in the Western world = the next target of repression will be the rural opposition. Such wideeseale action is already preparing. Some of the alarming indications are the following facts: ' In the village of Kubotat, in ns Bulgarian Dobradja, bloody incidents have occured at thejéfethe beginning harvest. Communist milicia, trying to inforce requisitioning, met with the open opposítít of the farmers; some of them being even armed. The local rebellion could only be erushed with re-enforements by additional troopse Although outward ealm is re-established, resentment in the whole region is very bitter and further outbreaks are expected; especially in the winter, when living conditions will become more difficult and the shortage more acute. Goverrmental shops heve been set up in recent weeks in most Bulgar ree
