Resignation and appointment of bishop of the Eparchy of Saint John XXIII for Catholic faithful of Byzantine rite in Bulgaria, Bulgaria

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the eparchy of Saint John XXIII for Catholic faithful of Byzantine rite in Bulgaria presented by Bishop Christo Proykov.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Petko Valov, of the clergy of the eparchy of Saint John XXIII for Catholic faithful of Byzantine rite in Bulgaria, until now parish priest of Dormitio Virginis in Novo Delchevo and eparchial chancellor as bishop of the same eparchy.

Curriculum vitae

Petko Valov was born on 8 January 1966 in Sofia, Bulgaria, in a Christian family, and graduated in dental technology.

He studied philosophy at the Pontifical Urban College and, after transferring to the Pontifical Greek College, he attended courses in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome.

He was ordained a priest on 11 October 1997 for the eparchy of Saint John XXIII.

He has held the following offices: since 1999, parish priest of Dormitio Virginis in the village in Novo Delchevo; since 2008, delegate of the Catholic Church to the National Council of Religious Communities in Bulgaria; since 2009, chancellor of the eparchy; since 2013, delegate of the executive council of the diocesan charitable foundation Nativity of the Lord for young single mothers; since 2020, secretary of the Interritual Bishops’ Conference of Bulgaria; and since 2022, chair of the governing board of Caritas Sofia.

Besides Bulgarian, he speaks Italian, English, French, and Russian, and understands ecclesiastical Slavic and Macedonian.