A requiem mass for Pope Francis was celebrated this evening by the Apostolic Nuncio, Monsignor Luciano Suriani, and the bishops of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria.
The mass took place at the co-cathedral "St. Joseph", at 146 "Knyaz Boris Parvi" Str. in Sofia.
"Pope Francis, over the past twelve years, as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Saint Peter, has dedicated himself to the service of the Gospel, the Church and the human family, especially to our least and most needy brothers and sisters," said Monsignor Luciano Suriani at the mass. He reminded those present of the life and work of Pope Francis, and urged them to pray for him.
As BTA wrote, a book of condolences in memory of Pope Francis was displayed during the week at the Apostolic Nunciature in Sofia.
The opening of the book of condolences on the occasion of the death of the head of the Roman Catholic Church was in the presence of Archbishop Luciano Suriani, who is the Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria.
BTA recalls that the bishop of the Nikopol diocese, Monsignor Strahil Kavalenov, was the representative of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria at the funeral of Pope Francis. This was told to BTA a few days ago by Bishop Petko Valov - chairman of the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria was represented at the funeral of the pope by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. He led the delegation, which included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Holy See Kostadin Kodjabashev, the government press service announced on April 23.
Over 400,000 people attended the mourning ceremony for Pope Francis on April 26 in and around “St. Peter”s Square in the Vatican, and along the route of the subsequent funeral procession, with which the coffin with the pope's body was transported from the Vatican to the Roman basilica “Santa Maria Maggiore“, where he was buried in a private ceremony, summarized ANSA and Agence France-Presse at the time, referring to a Vatican statement.
The funeral ceremony in the Vatican lasted about an hour and a half, and was attended by dozens of foreign leaders and accompanying delegations, as well as hundreds of clergy.
Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m. on April 21, at the age of 88.