Pope Francis To Visit Kazakhstan, Releases Programmes

August 5, 2022267 views0

Pope Francis To Visit Kazakhstan, Releases Programmes

2022-08-05T15:35:02+01:00

By Church News

Pope Francis is set to be in the capital of Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan from 13-15 September to attend the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, the Vatican said.The theme of this year’s event will be “The Role of Leaders of World and Traditional Faiths in the Socio-Spiritual Development of Humanity after the Pandemic.”Every three years, religious leaders from around the world gather at the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, in Nur-Sultan.The Pope in several recent interviews has said that he hopes to meet in the Kazakh capital with Patriarch Kirill, who has given his full-throated backing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February.Francis had planned to meet Kirill on 14 June in Jerusalem but cancelled that meeting on the advice of Vatican diplomats.If the September meeting takes place, it would be only their second after they met in Cuba in 2016. The latter was the first such meeting between a Pope and a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church since the Great Schism in 1054.The Vatican also published the agenda for Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan.Upon landing in Kazakhstan, Pope Francis will pay a courtesy visit to the Kazakh President and address authorities.And also have a moment of silent prayer with religious leaders, and address them during the Congress’ opening and plenary session. The Pope will then meet with some of the leaders privately.Furthermore, he will celebrate Mass for the country’s Catholics.According to the Pew Research Center, the country is at least 70% Muslim, and about 25% Christian, of which less than 1% is Catholic. On Thursday, the Pope will address bishops, priests, religious, pastoral workers, and seminarians, and will also meet with the country’s Jesuits.He will also give another address after the Congress, during which there will be the reading of the event’s final declaration.In an interview with Reuters last month, Pope Francis said he wanted to visit the Ukraine capital Kyiv after his return from Canada two days ago, but also wanted to go to Moscow to promote peace.The late Pope John Paul II visited the Kazakh capital in 2001 when it was known as Astana.ALSO READ Pope Celebrates Mass in North America’s Oldest Catholic Sanctuary