On the eve of the Pope’s visit to Kazakhstan, the Vatican City State Secretary looks at the war in Ukraine, hoping that the World Religions Conference, in which Pope Francis will also participate, will become an opportunity for meeting and dialogue.
On the eve of the 38th Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to Kazakhstan to participate in the Seventh Conference of Heads of World and Traditional Religions, Vatican News interviewed Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican City, in which he spoke regarding this visit and its importance and the diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Kazakhstan.
Pope Francis will travel to Kazakhstan from September 13 to 15, to participate in the seventh edition of the Conference of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, at the invitation of the President of the Republic, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said the Secretary of State of the Vatican City. The event will be attended by various religious leaders from around the world. From the outset, the Congress took as its model the Day of Prayer for Peace in the World, which Pope Saint John Paul II convened in Assisi, on January 24, 2002, in order to reaffirm the positive contribution of different religious traditions to dialogue, harmony and concord among peoples. The motto of this papal visit also goes in this direction: “Messengers of peace and unity”, so the guidelines for the papal visit are clear. I also note that in the draft closing statement of the conference, reference was made, with special emphasis, to the document “Human Fraternity for Peace and Peaceful Coexistence”, signed by Pope Francis and Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, on February 4, 2019.
Cardinal Parolin went on to answer the question of the inevitability of war and if there were other paths, and said that war is never an inevitable event. But it finds its roots in the human heart, which allows it to be led by vainglory, pride and greed, as the Church Fathers used to say. And a heart of this kind is a hard heart that is unable to open up to others. We can avoid war by taking a step back, throwing accusations, threats and reasons of mutual mistrust. Unfortunately, these days, on all levels, the ability to listen and efforts to understand the causes of those who think differently from us have diminished. Therefore, I hope that the Seventh Conference of Heads of World and Traditional Religions, which is being held in Kazakhstan, will become an occasion for meeting and dialogue.
Answering a question regarding diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Kazakhstan, added the Secretary of State of the Vatican City, he said, we can do justice to the diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Kazakhstan in two words: continuous and fruitful. It suffices to mention that the Holy See has always actively participated in all sessions of the Conference and was represented by a high-ranking delegation led by a Cardinal, this time led by His Holiness the Pope. Kazakhstan was the first Central Asian country to sign a bilateral agreement with the Holy See in 1998. It was also the first Central Asian country visited by Pope Saint John Paul II in September 2001. The Holy See and Kazakhstan continue to work together. This is evidenced by the fact that during the recent visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Teloperdi to the Vatican, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the University Medical Center of Kazakhstan and the Bambino Gezo Children’s Hospital, and a memorandum of understanding between the Institute of Oriental Studies Suleymanov and the Vatican Library and Archives. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. On this occasion and in connection with the visit of Pope Francis, we hope to be able to sign a supplementary agreement on the issuance of visas and residence permits for foreign missionaries serving in Kazakhstan.
The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, concluded his speech to Vatican News, answering the question of what the visit of Pope Francis to the small Catholic Church in Kazakhstan will bring, and said that the papal visit to Kazakhstan also includes stops dedicated to the local Catholic community, such as the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Expo Square and the meeting with Bishops, priests, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers, which will be held at the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Nur-Sultan. The Catholic Church in Kazakhstan is highly regarded and represents, within a very diverse religious and cultural scene, a small but important reality, and therefore she will surely be encouraged by the presence and word of the Pope to be renewed in faith, hope and love, and to continue her mission of witness, inspired by the example of many witnesses The past, like Blessed Father Władysław Bukowiński, Blessed Father Alessio Zaryckyj and Blessed Bishop Mykyta Budka, and together with other religious groups, contribute to building a united, harmonious and peaceful society.
