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

Passionist The Passionists, officially named Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (), abbreviated CP, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720 with a special emphasis on and d ...

Congregation,

Roman Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Ch ...

Nicopolis Nicopolis ( grc-gre, Νικόπολις, Nikópolis, City of Victory) or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was located in the western part of the modern state of Greece. The city was founded in 29 ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

in the Communist campaign in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

against religion. He had studied in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

for his doctorate at the

Pontifical Oriental Institute The Pontifical Oriental Institute, also known as the Orientale, is a Catholic institution of higher education located in Rome and focusing on Eastern Christianity. The plan of creating a school of higher learning for Eastern Christianity had been ...

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 Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1998.

Life

Vincent Bossilkov was born to a family of Bulgarian

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

s on November 16, 1900 in

Belene Belene ( bg, Белене ) is a town in Pleven Province, Northern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Belene Municipality. The town is situated on the right bank of the Danube river, close to the town of Svishtov. Ge ...

. After studies, he entered the

Congregation at the age of 14. The Passionists are an Italian religious institute founded by Saint

Paul of the Cross Paul of the Cross (; born Paolo Francesco Danei; 3 January 1694 – 18 October 1775) was an Italian Roman Catholic mystic, and founder of the Passionists. Biography Paul of the Cross, originally named Paolo Francesco Danei, was born on 3 J ...

in the eighteenth century. They have practiced in Bulgaria since 1781. Bossilkov studied in Passionist houses in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and took the religious name Eugene. He professed his vows in 1920 and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood in 1926. He had returned to Bulgaria in 1924 and had pursued theological studies. In 1927 he went to

to take his doctorate at the

, where he wrote a thesis on the Union of Bulgarians with the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

during the early 13th century. On his return to Bulgaria, Bossilkov served in various Diocesan offices, but he preferred working with the laity. He took up a post as

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in the

Danube River The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

valley. Here his reputation for scholarship grew, and he was noted for his work with the youth of the parish. In the wake of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

invaded the

Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria ( bg, Царство България, translit=Tsarstvo Balgariya), also referred to as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom ( bg, Трето Българско Царство, translit=Treto Balgarsko Tsarstvo, links=no), someti ...

and installed a Communist government answering to

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

. The new regime began to enact laws to destroy religious institutions and beliefs. At this time, Bossilkov was appointed

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

in 1947.Mercurio, R: ''The Passionists'', p. 179. The Liturgical Press, 1991 From 1949 the attitude of the State to religious institutes worsened. In the same year the government deported the

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...

, 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.

Martyrdom

Bossilkov suffered both physical and mental

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

in prison, where he was told to confess to being the leader of a Catholic

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agre ...

to subvert

Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

.Hogland,
"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P."
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. Bossilkov was found guilty and the official sentence against him read;

By virtue of articles 70 and 83 of the penal code, the Court condemns the accused, Eugene Bossilkov, to be sentenced to death by
firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...
, and all his goods confiscated... Dr.Eugene Bossilkov, Catholic bishop; completed his religious studies in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and was trained by the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
for
counter-revolutionary A counter-revolutionary or an anti-revolutionary is anyone who opposes or resists a revolution, particularly one who acts after a revolution in order to try to overturn it or reverse its course, in full or in part. The adjective "counter-revolut ...
activities and
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
. He is one of the directors of a clandestine Catholic organization. He was in touch with
diplomats A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internatio ...
from the
imperialist Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...
countries and gave them information of a confidential nature. The accused convoked a diocesan council in which it was decided to combat
Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
through religious conferences, held in
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
, activities called ' a mission.' No appeal of his sentence is possible.Condemnation and Martyrdom of Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.
/ref>

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 A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

, his body was never recovered.Hogland,
"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P."
Pope Pius XII had mentioned Bossilkov's being condemned to death in his encyclical letter "

Orientales Ecclesias ''Orientales ecclesias'' (December 15, 1952) is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII concerning the persecution of the Eastern Catholic Churches and describing the desperate situation of the faithful in Bulgaria. Summary ''Orientales ecclesias'' review ...

" to the Oriental Churches in 1952. 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 Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

what happened to the bishop, he answered that Bossilkov had died in prison 23 years before.

Beatification

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

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...

. At meetings in 1993 and 1994 the Congregation declared it was favourable to the cause of Bossilkov as a Catholic

from a theological and juridical perspective. On March 15, 1998 Pope John Paul II declared Bossilkov " Blessed". Family *Bossilkov had 6 children, Bossilkov's son Mario and daughter Maria are the only ones that are known

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bossilkov, Eugene 1900 births 1952 deaths Bulgarian beatified people Passionists 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Bulgaria Martyred Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 20th-century venerated Christians People from Pleven Province Religious persecution by communists Pontifical Oriental Institute alumni Beatifications by Pope John Paul II People executed by the People's Republic of Bulgaria People executed by Bulgaria by firing squad