Pope Francis flies to Kazakhstan for a conference of religious leaders. The head of the Catholic Church wants to campaign for peace – the probably most explosive conversation does not take place.
With his trip to the religious meeting in Kazakhstan, Pope Francis wants to underline that he stands with all people in the world who are looking for peace. “I come to amplify the cry of the many who are begging for peace, which is an essential development factor for our globalized world,” said the Catholic leader in Nur-Sultan.
In the Kazakh capital, Francis recalled Ukraine in his speech to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and diplomats. “I come here in the midst of the insane and tragic war unleashed by the invasion of Ukraine, and at a time when further confrontations and looming conflicts threaten our time,” the Pope said.
Now a clearer position
The 85-year-old Argentinian underlined once again that Russia, as the aggressor, is responsible for the war. Francis had not said that clearly for a long time and was therefore criticized. On the morning flight from Rome to Nur-Sultan, the Pope’s plane, operated by the Italian airline Ita Airways, avoided Russian airspace like almost all western airlines.
Francis described himself as a “pilgrim of peace” in search of dialogue and unity. “Our world urgently needs this, it must find harmony again,” emphasized the pontiff.
The two-day congress of religious leaders opens this Wednesday. Several bilateral meetings are planned. In addition, the pope wants to celebrate a public mass in Nur-Sultan. A final declaration of the congress is to be read out on Thursday, after which the return flight to Rome is scheduled.
No meeting with Kirill
However, one explosive date in Nur-Sultan was canceled: the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, will not be present at the conference. Francis had hoped in the past to be able to talk to him about peace in Ukraine.
More than half a year after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the gathering in Nur-Sultan would have offered the opportunity for a meeting between Francis and Moscow Patriarch Kirill. Kirill, who defends the war of aggression in Ukraine started by Russian President Vladimir Putin, will not travel to Kazakhstan. The pope has long hoped to talk to the Russian church leader about common paths to peace. For this he was criticized by Ukrainians. They consider it an affront should Francis meet Kirill before traveling to Kyiv.
Visiting Kazakhstan is special
The 85-year-old Argentine is the first pope to accept an invitation from the Kazakh government to attend the congress, which normally takes place every three years. The event in Nur-Sultan, formerly Astana, is taking place for the seventh time since its premiere in 2003. In autumn 2001, John Paul II was the only Pope to visit Kazakhstan after independence from the USSR in 1990.
Only around 125,000 Catholics live in the Central Asian country with almost 19 million inhabitants. About 70 percent of Kazakhs are Muslims, about 26 percent are Orthodox Christians.
Source: Stern
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