Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Micheál Martin, the taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, discussed peace in a May 22 audience with Pope Leo XIV.

“We had an extremely cordial and very honest meeting, which lasted longer than usual,” Dotsova said following the audience. “Pope Leo XIV shared that he expects Bulgaria, as a country located at a crossroad, to be one of the creators of bridges for peace, and he sent his blessing to the entire Bulgarian people.”

The lawmaker invited the Pope to visit the nation, and the Pontiff, in turn, “promised to do everything possible to continue the tradition” of papal visits to Bulgaria, the state-run Bulgarian News Agency reported.

Located in Southeast Europe, Bulgaria, a nation of 6.7 million (map), is 84% Christian (80% Orthodox) and 13% Muslim. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2019.

Pope Leo XIV today is making of pastoral visit to Acerra, a southern Italian city of 60,000 known for its Mafia-linked toxic waste pollution.

The Vatican newspaper warned that international aid is running out for the over one million Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh (map).

The pilgrimage will wind its way up the Eastern states to New England, and then back to the south, before concluding in Philadelphia on July 5.

Cardinal Czerny, whose family left Czechoslovakia for Canada when he was two, spoke about Fathers Jan Bula and Václav Drbola, who will be beatified on June 6. Their lives, he said, are “proof that no violence can stifle the life of God in those who entrust themselves to Him.”

The conference, entitled Blessed Martyrs of Communism, took place on May 20.