Pope Francis has begun a three-day visit to Bulgaria and North Macedonia aimed partly at improving relations with the Orthodox Church.

Axar.az reports citing BBC.

The Pope met Orthodox leaders in Bulgaria on Sunday, but they had already rejected taking part in joint services or prayers with him.

The Vatican has long been pushing for unity between the two branches of Christianity, which split in 1054.

The two Balkan countries have tiny Catholic communities.

The pontiff's arrival in Bulgaria on Sunday marked the first visit by a pope to the country in 17 years.

The trip to North Macedonia will be the first by a pope and comes just months after the country ended a decades-long dispute with Greece by changing its name, and as it votes for a new president.