Passionist Missionary Fr. Paolo Cortesi was awarded the prestigious “Person of the Year” prize in Sofia, Bulgaria, today. Every year, the prize is awarded by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee for defending human rights; for the first time, it was awarded to a non-Bulgarian person, representing a religion. In March, Fr. Cortesi hosted a family of Syrian refugees in his parish city: Belene. However, because of local protests, the migrants had to leave the city, while the priest’s life was threatened. “This prize is a surprise for me, because the purpose of our work is charity. We don’t need rewards”, said Father Cortesi during the ceremony. “I hope the facts occurred with the Syrian family will help us to grow in terms of human relationships”. Moreover, the priest said that “in Italy, for instance, many people sometimes are afraid of Bulgarians, Ukrainians… but man is man, and there are no first-class or second-class people”. Fr. Cortesi pointed out the importance of helping the people in need. Again, he recalled the words of the Pope about migrants, who should be helped to integrate, find a job, and learn the language. “Everybody is afraid, but faith, compassion and education will help us to share what we have”. The missionary said: “The people here are good, but sometimes just a sparkle may light a fire …”.