Pope Francis has arrived in Bulgaria on an Apostolic Visit. At Sofia airport he was welcomed by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

Today Pope Francis will meet with President Rumen Radev and with the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Patriarch Neophyte, and, in St. Alexander Nevski Square, will conduct the Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) Sunday prayer, followed every week by more than 100 million people around the world. The Pope will also deliver a brief address to the world.

Today’s schedule of the Papal visit includes a Catholic mass in Prince Alexander I Square, to which representatives of the authorities and of the differerent religious denominations in the country have been invited.

Tomorrow, 6 May, Pope Francis will visit a refugee centre in Sofia and will celebrate holy mass and give first communion to 250 children in the Catholic church Most Holy Heart of Jesus in the town of Rakovski. On 7 May, Pope Francis will depart from Bulgaria for the Republic of North Macedonia.