The Pope will visit Kazakhstan in September to attend the Congress of Leaders of Religions
The Pope plans to make an official visit to Kazakhstan and take part in the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. He confirmed his intention during video conversations with the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
“I am looking forward to this significant event in terms of promoting interreligious dialogue, unity and rapprochement of states, which is extremely important these days,” the Akorda website quotes the head of the Catholic Church.
The VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions will be held on September 14-15 in Nur-Sultan.
Kazakhstan, the ninth largest country in the world, is a secular state with many religions. Muslims make up about 70% of the 19 million population. While Christians are estimated to make up just over 23%. Less in percentage are followers of Judaism and various Eastern religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as Taoism, Shintoism and Zoroastrianism.
Thus, the country, bordering Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, is an ideal meeting place for East and West and world religions.
Despite the fact that this is the seventh congress of religious leaders in Kazakhstan, it will be the first in which the head of the Catholic Church will take part.
The 85-year-old pontiff visited Georgia and Azerbaijan in 2016 but has not been to Central Asia since he was elected in 2013.
Reuters reported this week that representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox churches are currently exploring the possibility of holding a meeting between Francis and Cyril, presumably in Jerusalem, following the pope's planned visit to Lebanon and Jordan in mid-June.
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