site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Officials, Religious and Political Leaders React to Pope Francis’ Death

The death of Pope Francis on Monday prompted reactions from Bulgarian officials, religious and political leaders. 

The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church died at the age of 88 Monday morning after recently surviving a serious bout of double pneumonia, the Vatican said, as quoted by major news agencies across the world.

Religious leaders 

The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniil, expressed his condolences following the passing of Pope Francis. In a message to the Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria, Archbishop Luciano Suriani, Patriarch Daniil called the Pope’s death a significant loss for millions of Christians around the world. Earlier on Monday, Patriarch Daniil expressed condolences on the passing of Pope Francis to the entire Roman Catholic Church on the air of Nova TV on Monday.

“We will all pray for a successful election of a successor to Pope Francis,” he added. Patriarch Daniil added that in recent months God performed a miracle, because despite the grave condition of Pope Francis, he has raised him to his feet.

The Catholic community in Rakovski (South Central Bulgaria) mourns the death of Pope Francis, Father Mladen Plachkov of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church told BTA. "We will pray for his soul," he added. The town of Rakovski and the surrounding settlements are home to Bulgaria's largest Catholic community. 

The Grand Mufti of the Republic of Bulgaria paid tribute to the memory of Pope Francis in a Fаcebook post. “With deep sadness and submission to the will of Almighty Allah, we learned that the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has left this world,” the post read, praising Pope Francis’s dedication in the service of peace, his humanism and openness to people of different faiths, as well as of his efforts to promote kindness and spirituality among believers around the world.

The Central Israeli Spiritual Council expressed condolences on the passing of Pope Francis on Monday, in a addressed to Bishop Petko Valov, Bulgarian Catholic Eparchy of Saint John XXIII of Sofia. The letter was published on the official Facebook page of the Israeli Spiritual Council. It was signed by Maxim Delchev, head of the Religious Community of Jews in Bulgaria.

Officials and political leaders

National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova cabled her condolences on the passing of Pope Francis on Monday. “Pope Francis was a holy man who changed the world and filled our hearts and souls with unshakeable faith in God, kindness and forgiveness,” she said as quoted by the National Assembly’s press centre. 

His Holiness Pope Francis dedicated his ministry to peace, understanding and unity among peoples, wrote President Rumen Radev on his profile on the social network X.

His Holiness Pope Francis was a true friend of Bulgaria, wrote Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov on the Government’s Facebook page on the occasion of the Pope's passing on Monday.

Pope Francis’s moral leadership and dedication to dialogue will be remembered by generations, the Prime Minister said.

In a post on X on Monday, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev wrote: "It is with deep sorrow that I have learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis".

GERB leader Boyko Borissov expressed condolences on the death of Pope Francis in a Facebook post on Monday. 

“In an era of conflict and division, he was a voice of kindness, compassion and reason,” Borissov wrote.

Continue the Change Co-chair Kiril Petkov expressed his condolences on the death of Pope Francis in a Facebook post on Monday.

Petkov recalled words from their meeting, when the Pope told him that corruption is a disease that eats away at the fabric of society. Petkov said that Pope Francis ordered him to continue fighting.

MRF - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski Monday said: "It is with deep sorrow that we have learned of the passing of Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, referred to as the 'Pope of the people'."

Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF) Floor Leader Dzhevdet Chakarov offered his condolences on the passing of Pope Francis in a Facebook post on Monday. “It is with deep sorrow that we receive the news of Pope Francis’s passing,” he wrote. 

Pope Francis made an apostolic journey to Bulgaria from May 5 to 7, 2019. He arrived in Sofia on May 5 at the invitation of the Bulgarian authorities and the Interritual Bishops' Conference of Bulgaria. The Pope was met with an official ceremony by President Rumen Radev. Later in the day, he visited the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and met with Patriarch Neophyte.