Roman Catholicism in Bulgaria

Roman Catholicism in Bulgaria is the third largest Bulgaria religion and they constituted about 43,811 people in 2001. The majority of Bulgaria catholics were the ethnic Bulgarians along with the Turks and other ethnic groups. The Catholic church of Bulgaria comprises of two dioceses and they are namely the Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv and also the Diocese of Nikopol. The ethnic Bulgarian catholics occupies the Central European region of Banat and they are commonly known as Banat Bulgarians.

The Roman Catholic missionaries during 9 th century tried to convert the Bulgarians into Christians but they were unsuccessful. The dominance of Roman Catholicism in Bulgaria however showed its color after the independence of Bulgaria. The catholic church opened various schools, colleges and hospitals in the entire country and also offered scholarship to the deserving students.

Pope John XXIII, played a vital role in developing catholic institutions in Bulgaria and also strengthened the diplomatic relation between Bulgaria and Vatican. The democratic Bulgaria offers equal religious freedom to all the Bulgaria religions and the end of Zhivkov regime has shaped the entire Bulgaria religions into a positive one. Present democratic developments has made the Roman Catholicism at Bulgaria a very influential and strong one.