Catholic Church in Bulgaria

Pope Francis has elevated the Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Sofia Diocese into Eparchy in Bulgaria assigning it the name of "Eparchy of Saint John XXIII of Sofia for Catholics of Byzantine-Slavic rite in Bulgaria".

The meeting between Pope Francis and the Catholic community in Bulgaria began. It is held in the neighborhood of Sekirovo in Rakovski - in the church "St. Archangel Michael". Thousands have arrived today in the small town to see the Holy Father during his apostolic 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.

Pope Francis's plane landed at the government's VIP airport at about ten minutes before 10 am, a little earlier than scheduled. On the Bulgarian soil the pope was welcomed by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. There is a four-eye meeting scheduled between them.

There are about 17 days left to Papa Francis' apostolic journey to Bulgaria.

Pope Francis will arrive on Bulgarian soil at 10:00 on May 5, accompanied by the Secretary of State for the Holy See and the Vatican's top representatives, along with an official Vatican delegation, the Catholic Church said in a statement.

From 5th to 7th May, an important and historical event will take place here - the visit of Pope Francis in Bulgaria, who was elected six years ago as a Roman pope.

During his apostolic trip to Bulgaria from 5 to 7 May this year. Pope Francis will visit Sofia and Rakovski, and then on May 7 he will travel to Skopje, the presidential press service announced.

The press service of the Holy See has published on Thursday a working version of the pope's program in Bulgaria and northern Macedonia.