Pope receives Kazhak president

(November 6, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday received president Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazhakastan in the Vatican and commended his nation’s commitment to peaceful coexistence among religions. The Pope also thanked him for the warm welcome accorded to his predecessor Pope John Paul II, when he visited Kazakstan in 2001. A Vatican statement said the talks focussed on issues related to the current economic crisis in the light of Pope Benedict’s encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate” or “Charity in Truth”. The two leaders also discussed inter-religious dialogue and the promotion of peace as Kazhakistan was about to assume the presidency of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE. Pope Benedict and Nazarbayev expressed appreciation for the good relations between the Holy See and the former Soviet Republic as also the peaceful coexistence among the followers of various religions in the country. They also called for greater role of all believers in the life of the nation for the common good. Later, Nazarbayev also met Vatican Secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti. The Kazakh president arrived in Rome on Wednesday on a 2-day visit to sign new business deals and bilateral agreements with Italy. Islam is Kazakhstan’s largest religion accounting for 62 percent of the population while, 35 percent follow Christianity , mainly the Russian Orthodox faith.