On June 24, for the first time after the pandemic, the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Republic of Bulgaria gave a reception on the occasion of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the Order.

On the spacious terrace of the Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph in Sofia, overlooking the ancient Roman remains of the Western Gate of Serdica, H. E. Ms. Ursula Hoefter Zuccoli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Republic of Bulgaria, welcomed a selected number of guests - ambassadors, government representatives, members of the diplomatic corps, journalists, representatives of the academic and cultural world.

After the performance of the respective hymns, H. E. Ms. Ursula Hoefter Zuccoli, in her greeting, "recalled the great changes that everyone had to adapt to after such a challenging year of pandemic". Then she added "how also the Order of Malta in Bulgaria had to find new ways of assistance, of which one concrete example was the "Basic Goods Project", also financed by the Grant Fund for Forgotten People in which over 1500 packages were delivered to 2000 poor people. The Embassy has continued its collaboration with some Bulgarian hospitals with various donations of useful material for the fight against COVID-19.

The head of mission of the Order in Bulgaria also recalled the orphans of family type centres, one of the most important projects of the Embassy. This year 40 disadvantaged children will be taken on a creative holiday to the Black Sea, and many of them will see the sea for the first time in their life.

H. E. Ms. Ursula Hoefter Zuccoli especially thanked the volunteers whom she has rewarded on June 24th as a sign of gratitude for their precious service.

The photos are provided by the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta in the Republic of Bulgaria.

Above: H. E. Ms. Ursula Hoefter Zuccoli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Republic of Bulgaria with colleagues