The Bulgarian Catholic Eparchy of Saint John XXIII of Sofia is an

eparchy Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...

of the

Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church The Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church is a ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church based in Bulgaria. As a particular church of the Catholic Church, it is in full communion with the Holy See. The church's ...

which is a ''

sui iuris ''Sui iuris'' (), also spelled ''sui juris'', is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right". It is used in both the Catholic Church's canon law and secular law. The term church ''sui iuris'' is used in the Catholic ''Code of Canon ...

'' ("autonomous")

Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

church based in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. As a

particular church In metaphysics, particulars or individuals are usually contrasted with ''universals''. Universals concern features that can be exemplified by various different particulars. Particulars are often seen as concrete, spatiotemporal entities as opposed ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, it is in

full communion Full communion is a communion or relationship of full agreement among different Christian denominations or Christian individuals that share certain essential principles of Christian theology. Views vary among denominations on exactly what constit ...

with the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. The Church is organised as a single eparchy (equivalent to a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

in the

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

). Its liturgical usage is that of the

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...

in the

Bulgarian language Bulgarian (; , ) is an Eastern South Slavic, Eastern South Slavic language spoken in Southeast Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the language of the Bulgarians. Along with the closely related Macedonian language (collectively forming the ...

. It was elevated from an

Apostolic Exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...

to a full eparchy by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

on 12 October 2019. The

cathedral church A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the eparchy is the

Cathedral of the Dormition The Cathedral of the Dormition (), also known as the Assumption Cathedral or Cathedral of the Assumption, is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is located on the north side of Cathedral Square of the Mosco ...

(Катедрала Успение Богородично Катедрала Успение Богородично), in

's capital

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

History

It was established in 1926 as Apostolic Exarchate of Sofia, on Bulgarian territory split off from the suppressed Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Constantinople and both its daughters

Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Macedonia The Macedonian Apostolic Vicariate of the Bulgarians ( or ''Vicariatus Apostolicus pro Bulgaris Catholicis Macedoniae''), informally ''Macedonia of the Bulgarians'', was one of the missionary, pre-diocesan jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Greek Ca ...

and

Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Thrace The Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Tracia (informally Tracia of the Bulgarians) was the second missionary, pre-diocesan jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church ''sui iuris'' (Eastern Catholic, Byzantine Rite in Bulgarian ...

(which also covered

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

), reuniting the original Balkanic jurisdiction.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 10,000 Bulgarian (Byzantine Rite) Catholics in 20 parishes with 17 priests (4 diocesan, 13 religious), 42 lay religious (15 brothers, 27 sisters), and 1 seminarian.

Ordinaries

Apostolic Exarchs of Sofia * Kiril Kurtev first time (1926.07.31 – 1942 ''see below''),

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Briula Briula or Brioula () was an ancient city and bishopric of ancient Lydia or of Caria in Asia Minor, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. Its site is located near Billara in Asiatic Turkey. History The city was important enough in the La ...

(1926.07.31 – death 1971.03.09) * Ivan Garufaloff, Resurrectionists (C.R.) (1942.07.06 – 1951.08.07) * Kyril Stefan Kurteff again (''see above'' 1951.04.27 – death 1971.03.09) * Metodi Dimitrov Stratiev,

Assumptionists The Assumptionists, formally known as the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption (; abbreviated AA), is a worldwide congregation of Catholic priests and brothers. It is active in many countries. The French branch played a major rol ...

(A.A.) (1971.03.09 – 1995.09.05), Titular Bishop of

Diocletianopolis in Thracia Diocletianopolis (, , "Town of Diocletian") was a magnificent ancient Roman town in the region of Thrace, nowadays the town of Hisarya in Bulgaria. Its impressive remains include the enormous defensive walls which still stand close to their orig ...

(1963.04.28 – death 2006.05.12), also President of Episcopal Conference of Bulgaria (1970 – 1995); succeeded as former

Coadjutor Apostolic Exarch An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...

of Sofia of the Bulgarians (Bulgaria) (1963.04.28 – 1971.03.09) *

Christo Proykov Christo Proykov () (born 11 March 1946 in Sofia) is the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church, Bulgarian Greek Catholic Bishop of Sofia. He was ordained a priest on 23 May 1971, then appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Sofia and Titular Bishop of Briula on ...

(1995.09.05 – 2019.10.11), Titular Bishop of

(1993.12.18 – ...), also President of Episcopal Conference of Bulgaria (1995 – ...); succeeded as former Coadjutor Apostolic Exarch of Sofia of the Bulgarians (Bulgaria) (1993.12.18 – 1995.09.05). Eparchs of Sofia *

(2019.10.11 – 2024.04.08) * Petko Valov (2024.04.08 – present)

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google satellite photo - data for all sections; with incumbent bio links

* ttp://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dsoby.html Catholic Hierarchy: Apostolic Exarchate of Sofia (Bulgarian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sofia, Bulgarian Catholic Eparchy Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church Former Apostolic exarchates Christian organizations established in 1926 1926 establishments in Bulgaria Eastern Catholic dioceses in Europe Catholic dioceses in Bulgaria

History

Statistics

Ordinaries

See also

References

Sources and external links