SOFIA, May 12 (Reuters) - Thousands of Bulgarians took part in an open mass in Sofia on Saturday in support of five Bulgarian nurses who have been sentenced to death in Libya for deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.

Sofia, backed by its allies in Brussels and Washington, has stepped up pressure on Libya to release the nurses condemned in a highly politicised case that has blocked Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's attempts to put an end to diplomatic isolation.

A Libyan court sentenced to death five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor in December for intentionally infecting 426 Libyan children with the HIV virus in the 1990s, more than 50 of whom have died.

More than 2,000 people gathered in front of Sofia's gold-domed Orthodox Christian Alexander Nevski cathedral to pray to three icons brought to Sofia from Bulgaria's largest monasteries that are believed to have magical power.

"Our prayer is for the innocent Bulgarian nurses severely suffering in a foreign country. We pray so that they receive a just sentence and come back home safe. We also pray for the Libyan children," said the head of Bulgaria's church patriarch Maxim.

The medics say they are innocent and were tortured to confess over an HIV epidemic which solid scientific evidence shows had started before they went to Libya.

Libya has indicated it may release the nurses if Bulgaria pays so called "blood money" amounting at around 10 million euros ($13.48 million) for each family.

Bulgaria has refused to pay compensation saying it would be an admission of guilt. It has set up a solidarity fund with the European Union and the United States aimed at providing medical aid and financial support for the children.

Earlier this week President Georgi Parvanov appealed to EU member states to be more generous in their donations to the fund.

The Libyan court is still to appoint a date for the medics' appeal.

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