Pope Francis received Prime Minister Kiril Petkov of Bulgaria in a 15-minute private audience on May 23. The Southeast European nation of 6.9 million (map) is 83% Christian (79% Orthodox) and 14% Muslim; the Pope made an apostolic journey there in 2019.

“I was honoured to meet His Holiness Pope Francis,” Petkov tweeted. “I was grateful to receive his blessing for the direction taken. We agreed that corruption is a disease that needs constant efforts.”