Kazakhstan Prepares for Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and Visit of the Pope

Kazakhstan Prepares for Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and Visit of the Pope

Nur-Sultan, August 26, 2022 - Preparations for the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, to be held on September 14-15, 2022 in the capital of Kazakhstan, have entered the final stretch.

About 100 delegations from 60 countries are expected to take part in the event, including representatives of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Shintoism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism and other religions. Among them are Pope Francis, Supreme Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed at-Tayeb, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau, Chief Sephardi Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef and other religious leaders, as well as representatives of a number of international organizations.

The theme of the current Congress is designated as “The role of leaders of world and traditional faiths in the socio-spiritual development of mankind in the post-pandemic period.” Within its framework, four panel sessions will be organized, focusing on questions on the role of religions in strengthening spiritual and moral values, education and religious studies in promoting peaceful coexistence of religions, countering extremism, radicalism and terrorism, especially on religious grounds, as well as the contribution of women to the well-being and sustainable development of society.

At the same time, the Head of the Catholic Church will visit Kazakhstan for the second time. The state visit of Pope Francis to our country will take place for the first time since Pope John Paul II visited Kazakhstan in 2001.

In addition, it is hereby recalled that the accreditation of foreign journalists for the upcoming Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, as well as the visit of the Pope Francis to Kazakhstan, continues until August 31 this year.