Today is the Second Day of the Pope's Visit to Bulgaria

Pope Francis's apostolic journey to Bulgaria continues today. The head of the Roman Catholic Church arrived yesterday in Bulgaria, under the motto "Peace to the Earth" - the title of the encyclical, written in 1963 by Pope John XXIII, also known as the "Bulgarian Pope," Archbishop Angelo Roncalli.

According to the program of the visit, the pope visited the refugee center in the "Vrajdebna" quarter of Sofia today, where he was greeted with Bulgarian choir songs performed by the migrants in the center. The event is one of the few, closed for the audience and the media.

After talking to people fleeing conflicts, wars, and poverty, which the pope traditionally pays special attention to, the head of the Roman Catholic Church will leave for the city of Rakovski. There, in the church "The Most Holy Jesus of Jesus" at 11.15, he will also serve a liturgy with the first communion of about 250 children.

A meeting with the local Catholic community, which is one of the largest in Bulgaria, is scheduled to be held later.

In the evening, the pope will be again in Sofia, where will be one of the most significant events of his visit, with which he will put an end to his visit to Bulgaria. At 18.15 on Independence Square is planned an "Event of Peace", to which the pope will send a message of peace and will also read prayer. Representatives of the various denominations in Bulgaria are invited to attend. And six children, professing each different religion, will light six torches in a symbol of the victory of light and peace over darkness and opposition.

Yesterday the Pope spoke with representatives of the state, met with Patriarch Neofit and the senior clergyman of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

From the center of Sofia, in several prayers...