Kamen Vitchev
Encyclopedia
Born May 23, 1893 at Srem
, Bulgaria
, Peter Vitchev came from a peasant family. He joined the Catholic
congregation known as the Assumptionists
, or Augustinians of the Assumption, in 1910, beginning his novitiate in Gempe, Belgium
, and later taking the name Kamen. He pursued his studies of philosophy and theology in Louvain
, Belgium. He was ordained a priest in Constantinople (Istanbul)
on December 22, 1921. After a brief period teaching at St. Augustine College in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and at a high school seminary in Kumkapı
, Turkey
, he returned to Strasbourg
and Rome
, to complete his studies and obtained a doctorate in theology in 1929.
Very knowledgeable in the history of the Bulgarian church, he published several articles in the review known as Echos d'Orient. In 1930 he was appointed professor of philosophy and Dean of Studies at St. Augustine College in Plovdiv and maintained this position until the school was closed by the Communist regime on August 2, 1948.
After this prestigious institution founded and maintained by the Assumptionists was closed, Fr. Vitchev became superior of the Assumptionist seminary in Plovdiv which housed a small number of students. That same year all foreign members of religious orders were expelled and Fr. Vitchev was named Vicar-Provincial of the remaining Bulgarian Assumptionists. They numbered twenty and staffed five Oriental and four Latin rite parishes.
As a Soviet satellite, Bulgaria suffered from the wave of anti-Church legislation that swept the bloc in the years after World War II
(e.g. the arrest of Archbishop
Aloysius Stepinac
in Yugoslavia
in 1946, of Cardinal
József Mindszenty in Hungary
in 1948, of Archbishop
Josef Beran in Czechoslovakia
in 1950, and of Cardinal
Stefan Wyszyński in Poland
in 1953).
Highly esteemed and respected by the influential young graduates of St. Augustine College, Fr. Vitchev posed a threat to the Communist authorities in Bulgaria and was arrested on July 4, 1952. After what international organizations universally considered a show trial which began on September 29, 1952 and ended with a guilty verdict and a death sentence on October 3, Fr. Vitchev, two of his Assumptionists companions, Fr. Joseph Chichkov and Fr. Pavel Djidjov
, and a Passionist
bishop, Most Rev. Eugene Bossilkov
, were shot to death, without public notice, at 11:30 PM the evening of November 11, 1952.
Fr. Vitchev was declared a martyr for the faith and beatified by Pope
John Paul II in Plovdiv on May 26, 2002.
On July 28, 2010, the Bulgarian parliament passed a law officially rehabilitating all of those who had been condemned by the People's Republic of Bulgaria in 1952, including Fr. Vitchev.
Srem
Śrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Peter Vitchev came from a peasant family. He joined the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
congregation known as the Assumptionists
Assumptionists
The Augustinians of the Assumption constitute a congregation of Catholic religious , founded in Nîmes, southern France, by Fr. Emmanuel d'Alzon in 1845, initially approved by Rome in 1857 and definitively approved in 1864 . The current Rule of Life of the congregation draws its inspiration from...
, or Augustinians of the Assumption, in 1910, beginning his novitiate in Gempe, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and later taking the name Kamen. He pursued his studies of philosophy and theology in Louvain
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Belgium. He was ordained a priest in Constantinople (Istanbul)
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
on December 22, 1921. After a brief period teaching at St. Augustine College in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and at a high school seminary in Kumkapı
Kumkapi
Kumkapı is part of the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located along the Marmara Sea. Up to recent times, Kumkapı was mostly inhabited by Armenians, who still have a community school and several churches there. It is also the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, he returned to Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, to complete his studies and obtained a doctorate in theology in 1929.
Very knowledgeable in the history of the Bulgarian church, he published several articles in the review known as Echos d'Orient. In 1930 he was appointed professor of philosophy and Dean of Studies at St. Augustine College in Plovdiv and maintained this position until the school was closed by the Communist regime on August 2, 1948.
After this prestigious institution founded and maintained by the Assumptionists was closed, Fr. Vitchev became superior of the Assumptionist seminary in Plovdiv which housed a small number of students. That same year all foreign members of religious orders were expelled and Fr. Vitchev was named Vicar-Provincial of the remaining Bulgarian Assumptionists. They numbered twenty and staffed five Oriental and four Latin rite parishes.
As a Soviet satellite, Bulgaria suffered from the wave of anti-Church legislation that swept the bloc in the years after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(e.g. the arrest of Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Aloysius Stepinac
Aloysius Stepinac
Aloysius Viktor Stepinac , also known as Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, was a Croatian Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 to 1960. In 1998 he was declared a martyr and beatified by Pope John Paul II....
in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in 1946, of Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
József Mindszenty in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1948, of Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Josef Beran in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1950, and of Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Stefan Wyszyński in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1953).
Highly esteemed and respected by the influential young graduates of St. Augustine College, Fr. Vitchev posed a threat to the Communist authorities in Bulgaria and was arrested on July 4, 1952. After what international organizations universally considered a show trial which began on September 29, 1952 and ended with a guilty verdict and a death sentence on October 3, Fr. Vitchev, two of his Assumptionists companions, Fr. Joseph Chichkov and Fr. Pavel Djidjov
Pavel Djidjov
Pavel Djidjov was a Bulgarian theologian who was executed after a show trial and beatified in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.-Education, career:...
, and a Passionist
Passionist
The Passionists are a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Paul of the Cross . Professed members use the initials C.P. after their names.-History:St...
bishop, Most Rev. Eugene Bossilkov
Eugene Bossilkov
Blessed Eugene Bossilkov , born Vincent Bossilkov , was a member of the Passionist Congregation, bishop of Nicopolis and martyr in the Communist campaign in Bulgaria against religion. He had studied in Rome for his doctorate at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and became a parish priest in the...
, were shot to death, without public notice, at 11:30 PM the evening of November 11, 1952.
Fr. Vitchev was declared a martyr for the faith and beatified by Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
John Paul II in Plovdiv on May 26, 2002.
On July 28, 2010, the Bulgarian parliament passed a law officially rehabilitating all of those who had been condemned by the People's Republic of Bulgaria in 1952, including Fr. Vitchev.