In a process for the removal of soot from a sulfurous gas stream, a process gas containing O2 and more than 500 ppm SO2 and/or SO3 together with soot is brought into contact with a VK type catalyst in a reactor, said catalyst comprising vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), sulfur in the form of sulfate, pyrosulfate, tri- or tetrasulfate and one or more alkali metals, such as Na, K, Rb or Cs, on a porous carrier, preferably a silicon dioxide carrier.