Visiting Astana through the eyes of the Pope

Addressing thousands of pilgrims at the Vatican's St. Peter's Square, the Bishop of Rome said the following about his visit to the capital of Kazakhstan:

"Last week, from Tuesday to Thursday, I visited Kazakhstan, a huge country in Central Asia, on the occasion of the VII Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions. I once again express my gratitude to the President of the Republic and other authorities of Kazakhstan for the cordial reception they gave me and for their generous diligence in organizing it. I also sincerely thank the bishops and all the staff for the tremendous work they have done and especially for the joy that the opportunity to meet with them and see them all together has brought me."

As I have already said, the main reason for the trip was participation in the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. This initiative has been implemented for twenty years by the authorities of the country, which appears to the world as a place of meeting and dialogue, in this case at the religious level, and thus as a protagonist in the promotion of peace and human brotherhood. It was the seventh congress in a row. A country with 30 years of independence has already held seven such congresses, every three years. In other words, it has placed religions at the center of efforts to create a world where people listen and respect each other in diversity. This is not relativism, but the ability to listen and respect. This is the merit of the Kazakh government, which, having freed itself from the yoke of the atheistic regime, now offers a path of civilization that unites politics and religion, without mixing or separating them, unequivocally condemning fundamentalism and extremism. This is the balanced position of unity."