"Today many, too many, speak of war: bellicose rhetoric is unfortunately back in fashion. But while words of hatred are spread, people die in the brutality of conflicts. Instead, we must speak of peace, dream of peace, give creativity and concreteness to the expectations of peace, which are the true expectations of peoples and individuals. Make every effort in this direction, in dialogue with everyone," the Holy Father told the participants in the Colloquium.
"May your meeting in respect for diversity and with the intention of mutually enriching each other be an example not to see in the other a threat, but a gift and a precious interlocutor for mutual growth.
"I wish you days of fraternity, fruitful in friendship and good projects, and a fruitful sharing of the results of your work," wished Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic orb, after recalling the initiatives that arose within the framework of his apostolic journey to the largest country in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, in September 2022.
Leaders' Congress, "a well-proven platform for dialogue".
The Pontiff extended special greetings to the Kazakh side of the Colloquium, the Congress of Leaders of Traditional and World Religions, which the Pope attended in its seventh edition; the Senate of the Republic and the Nursultan Nazarbayev Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, and has underlined his "joy to see in this event a first significant fruit of the Memorandum of Understanding concluded between the Nazarbayev Center and the aforementioned Dicastery".
The Congress "is a unique and well-tried platform for dialogue not only among religious leaders, but also with the world of politics, culture and the media," Francis said. It is "a praiseworthy initiative that corresponds well with Kazakhstan's vocation to be "a country of encounter"..
"In addition to the apostolic journey", the Pope recalled that "I had the opportunity to show my closeness to the Kazakh people on the occasion of the visit to the Vatican last January of the President of the Republic, who so courteously welcomed me in the country, and in the meeting with H.E. Mr. Ashimbayev, President of the Senate and Head of the Secretariat of the Congress, who participates in your colloquium as Head of the Kazakh Delegation".
"Supporting each other in cultivating harmony between religions and cultures."
"You must support us in cultivating harmony among religions, ethnicities and cultures, a harmony of which your great country can be proud," the Holy Father asked. "In particular, there are three aspects of your reality that I would like to highlight: respect for diversity, commitment to the "common home" and the promotion of peace."
With regard to respect for diversity, "an indispensable element of democracy - which must be constantly promoted - the fact that the State is 'secular' contributes greatly to creating harmony," he added.
"It is obviously a healthy secularism, which does not mix religion and politics, but distinguishes them for the good of both, and at the same time recognizes the essential role of religions in society, at the service of the common good". You can consult the full text hereof which some aspects have been outlined at the beginning of this report.
About Kazakhstan, 1 % of Catholics, a country of encounter
Kazakhstan, after its independence in 1991, is now a sovereign country of immense steppes, with a small population (barely 19 million inhabitants) for a large area that makes it the ninth largest country in the world (2,750,000 square kilometers: five times larger than Spain).
Like Omnes reportedIn Kazakhstan, there are approximately 182,000 Catholics: about 1 % of the population. This is the second largest Christian minority, after the Orthodox Church, in a country with a Muslim majority. Although Catholics often belong to families with European roots (Polish, German, Ukrainian or Lithuanian), the Catholic Church is gradually taking root in these lands.
