The Holy Father’s vision of global solidarity and interreligious fraternity has found a foothold in this predominantly Muslim Central Asian nation.
Again and again over the course of his 11-year pontificate, Pope Francis has emphasized the themes of global solidarity, peace, fraternity and dialogue between religions.
The worsening conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere around the world suggest his words have fallen on deaf ears. But Francis’ vision has gained a foothold in an unlikely place: the predominantly Muslim Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
A meeting of interreligious leaders in the nation’s capital of Astana this past Oct. 6 provided a concrete manifestation of the country’s affinity for the peaceful dialogue the Holy Father so ardently promotes.
The event was held inside the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a futuristic, pyramid-shaped center built in 2006 precisely for these types of gatherings.
There, dozens of men and women representing Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Judaism were seated around an enormous round table, symbolizing equality and the shared human dignity before God.
Among the participants was Msgr. Khaled Akasheh, representing the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The Vatican’s involvement at the event — the 22nd session of the Secretariat of the Congress of World Leaders and Traditional Religions — was notable, given that just 1% of Kazakhstan’s population (about 200,000 people) are Catholic.
The interreligious congress draws direct inspiration from the Catholic tradition, particularly from Pope St. John Paul II’s interreligious gatherings in Assisi and his visit to Kazakhstan in 2001. The first congress was convened two years later, in 2003.
Pope Francis has built on the efforts of his predecessors, perhaps most significantly with the release of his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti (meaning “All brothers,” in Italian). In 2022, Pope Francis personally attended a separate but related gathering — the Seventh Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions — alongside Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, one of the highest authorities in the Islamic world, and other religious leaders. Together, they signed a declaration reaffirming their commitment to dialogue and peace among the world’s religions, stating that “extremism, radicalism, and terrorism have nothing to do with authentic religion and must be rejected.”
A Diverse Religious Landscape
Kazakhstan is home to 120 ethnic groups and nearly 4,000 religious organizations, representing 18 religious bodies. This diverse religious landscape plays a key role in the country’s social fabric.
Kazakhstan’s geographical position — bordering China to the east, Russia to the north, and close to conflict-prone regions such as Afghanistan and Ukraine — makes it especially vulnerable to regional unrest. The country sees the Holy See as a key partner in promoting peace.
“Kazakhstan shares the global vision of the Catholic Church, which is rooted in the ideals of goodness, justice, solidarity and compassion,” Kairat Sarzhanov, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the Holy See, told the Register.
Since gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has maintained a peaceful foreign policy. One of its major initiatives was voluntarily renouncing the fourth-largest nuclear arsenal in the world, with 1,310 nuclear warheads. The Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site was closed that same year, signaling a commitment to nuclear disarmament.
Kazakhstan, along with four neighboring countries, also established the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in 2006, solidifying its stance against nuclear proliferation. This commitment was further recognized in 2015 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Kazakh-initiated Universal Declaration for the Achievement of a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World.
However, Kazakhstan’s growing energy demands have sparked a national debate on the viability and risks of nuclear power as a long-term solution. On Oct. 6 of this year, a nationwide referendum showed that 71% of voters supported the construction of a nuclear power plant. This decision, reflecting the country’s need for sustainable energy, highlights the government’s strategy of using consensus-building to address challenges — a process it refers to as implementing the “Listening State,” which harmonizes well with Pope Francis’ emphasis on “synodality.”
The Oct. 6 meeting of the Secretariat, the operational body that oversees the activities of the Congress between its triennial meetings, capped a year-long series of high-level interactions between the Holy See and Kazakhstan.
On Jan. 19, 2024, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made his first official visit to the Holy See. During his meeting with Pope Francis, both leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to interreligious dialogue and cooperation.
The meeting “underscored the mutual intention and readiness of both sides to promote open dialogue on the international stage, and a shared commitment to interreligious dialogue amid global conflicts and humanitarian crises," Ambassador Sarzhanov told the Register.
This meeting was followed by a joint colloquium in April 2024, the first of its kind, hosted by the Vatican in collaboration with Kazakhstan.
In his address to the participants of the colloquium, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of seeing others not as threats, but as partners in mutual growth.
“We need to speak of peace, to dream of peace, to give creativity and substance to hopes for peace, for these are the real hopes of individuals and of peoples,” he said.
The warm relationship between Kazakhstan and the Holy See is reflected even in small gestures, such as Pope Francis’ telegram congratulating Kazakhstan on its Republic Day on Oct. 25, showing the Holy Father’s personal attention to the country and further emphasizing the close ties between Kazakhstan and the Vatican.
In line with this deepening partnership, Kazakhstan recently announced the appointment of Timur Primbetov as its new ambassador to the Holy See, with plans for him to present his credentials next year. Furthermore, for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, Kazakhstan will establish a dedicated chancery to house its embassy to the Holy See in Rome, also set to open next year. Until now, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the Vatican has been based in Bern, Switzerland, concurrently managing diplomatic relations with Switzerland, the United Nations, and the Order of Malta.
The relationship between the two states isn’t without points of tension, however.
While Kazakhstan is a secular state with constitutional guarantees for freedom of conscience, the practical application of these rights is governed by the 2011 Religion Law. This law requires all religious groups to register with the state, and penalizes proselytism and other unregistered religious activities.
Though the law is positioned as a safeguard against extremism, it has faced criticism from international human rights organizations for potentially limiting religious freedoms. Despite these regulations, interest in religion has continued to grow.
As Dianna Yessenova, acting board chair of N. Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilization Dialogue, created by government decree in 2019, observed, “Religious buildings in Kazakhstan have not closed in the 30 years since independence. Instead, they continue to grow and flourish.”
A Vision for the Next Decade
The Apostolic Nuncio to Kazakhstan, Archbishop George Panamthundil, told the Register that the interreligious meeting on Oct. 6 was an opportunity for participants “to deepen their understanding of their own faith,” because, he said, “to engage in dialogue, one must first know their own beliefs well.”
He added, “For the Holy See, this meeting provides an opportunity to further implement the teachings of Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s “Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions.”
This year, the Secretariat of the Congress convened with a focus on the future, emphasizing a 10-year plan that centers on the concept of “spiritual diplomacy” as a means for addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as extremism, poverty and injustice, through dialogue and cooperation.
.jpg)
One of the initiatives adopted this year was the appointment of “goodwill ambassadors” to advocate for spiritual diplomacy. Among them are religious leaders from the Middle East: Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders based in the United Arab Emirates. The Secretariat meeting was held a day prior and in conjunction with the first Youth Forum of Young Religious Leaders, hosted at the Palace of Independence. This new annual event aims to engage the next generation in interreligious dialogue.
“Young religious leaders will learn the culture of dialogue and cooperation,” Yessenova, an organizer of the forum, told the Register, emphasizing her belief that “dialogue remains the solution to everything.”
A Catholic representative at this year’s forum was Daria Golubkova, a consecrated virgin who told the Register that it was both an honor and a great responsibility for her to participate.
“Through their openness and willingness to listen, Catholic youth can exemplify Christ’s love,” she said.
“These forums are not just about becoming familiar with each other, but also about experiencing coexistence,” said Yahya Jahangiri, representative of the Republic of Iran.
“If we look at the history of Iran, we see how Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Shia, Sunni and Hindus lived together without conflict,” he said. “We need to once again practice this kind of coexistence.”
Alexey Gotovskiy has worked at the EWTN Vatican Bureau as a journalist, TV producer, and manager for the last seven years. He was born in the Soviet Union, grew up in Russia, was raised in Kazakhstan, and received his graduate-level education in Church communications at the Roman Pontifical University of Holy Cross.
