Pope Francis to visit Kazakhstan: three days of inter-religious dialogue in prospect
He treads in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II.
There are also rumours, and they are no more than rumours, that the Pope will meet the Russian Patriarch there.
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The Vatican Press Office has released the official programme for the Pope's 38th international trip which is to the Central Asian country visited by John Paul II in 2001. The Pope will spend the entire time in the capital, Nur-Sultan, where the VII Congress of Leaders of World Religions and Traditional Religions is taking place, attended by various religious leaders from around the world. Nur-Sultan until March 2019 was called Astana lies on the banks of the Išim River and has a population of about one million, with a very young average age and about 130 different nationalities. here are also many religious communities there.
Public and private meetings and even a Mass will mark Pope Francis' short trip to Kazakhstan, which was announced Monday and scheduled for 13-15 September. Four speeches are scheduled at the various meetings and the homily at the mass in Expo Square. The occasion of the visit - which the Pope himself described in his last interview on the plane returning from Canada as an "easy trip", that is, a trip that is not exhausting given his state of health - is the VII Congress of the Leaders of World Religions. The Congress of Leaders of World Religions and Traditional Religions, an event that will be attended by various religious leaders from around the world, according to the official website, will include among its priorities "the affirmation of peace, harmony and tolerance as unshakeable principles of human existence" and addressing "the issue of the use of people's religious feelings to escalate conflicts and hostilities".
Francis, who will depart from Rome-Fiumicino at 7.15am on 13 September, will arrive in Nur-Sultan and land at the local airport. There, the official welcome is to take place at 5.45 pm (local time), followed by the welcome ceremony at the presidential palace. The courtesy visit to the President of the Republic, Kassim-Jomart Tokayev, will also take place at this venue shortly afterwards, followed by a meeting with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Qazaq Concert Hall. On this occasion, the Pope will deliver the first of his five public addresses.
Mass in Expo Square
The day on Wednesday 14 September will open with a silent prayer at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, together with the religious leaders participating in the congress, which is now being held for the seventh time after the first one in 2003 and the other congresses held every three years. Francis will deliver a new address at the opening of the plenary session of the event. Some of the representatives of the various denominations will then be received privately by the Pope at 12 noon. After a long break, he will celebrate Mass in the afternoon at 4.45pm in Expo Square.
This brings us to Thursday 15 September, the last day of the trip. At 9 a.m., as is the tradition on every Apostolic journey, the Pope will meet the Jesuits of that region at the Apostolic Nunciature. As always, the meeting is not open to the public. At 10.30am, Francis will then move to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help to meet with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated people, seminarians and pastoral workers. He will also address them.
Final Declaration of the Interreligious Congress
The final act of the entire trip to Kazakhstan will again take place at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, with the reading of the final declaration that will conclude the Congress of Religious Leaders. A speech by the Pope is also planned on this occasion. The event is scheduled for 3.00 pm. At 4.15 p.m., the Pope will instead proceed to Nur-Sultan International Airport, where the farewell ceremony will take place and at 4.45 p.m. the flight will depart for Rome, where landing is scheduled for 8.15 p.m.
Background on previous Papal visit
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