The visit of the delegation of Kazakhstan in the Vatican and interreligious dialogue

February 7, 2013: To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the "Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions", an important institution of inter-religious dialogue desired by the President of Kazakhstan, arrived Tuesday in the Vatican. The major Kazakh delegation was headed by President of the Senate, Kairat Mami. The delegation took part in yesterday's general audience the Holy Father and participated in a meeting at the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Wednesday night at the Hotel Columbus, during a demonstration with the participation of leading representatives of the Roman Curia - in particular the Cardinals Sodano, Cardinal Tauran and Lajolo - and numerous members of the Diplomatic Corps, were presented a photo exhibition to commemorate and document the activities of the decade of "Congress", with its four international assemblies held so far.

Due to the support given by the Holy See to these initiatives of dialogue and peace, Cardinal Tauran Lajolo, and Msgr. Khaled Akasheh, an official of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue have been awarded honors of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

On October 17, 1992 the Holy See had buckled diplomatic relations with Kazakhstan. Six years later, September 24, 1998, the two parties signed an agreement that guaranteed the rights and duties of Catholics in the country and the rights and obligations of the State towards them. Today, Kazakhstan, emerged from the collapse of communism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, has less than 2% of Catholics and a Muslim majority. Pope John Paul II visited the country in September 2001, and the motto of the visit was "Love one another". This motto was chosen then because " Kazakhstan has more than one hundred different religious and ethnic groups."

Two years later, in 2003, the then cardinal Secretary of State, Angelo Sodano, visited Kazakhstan and blessed the first stone of the new Cathedral of Karaganda. In the same year, in Astana, held the First Interreligious Congress sponsored by the Chief of Nazarbayev. In a message sent on the occasion, Pope John Paul II hoped that the initiative would help to promote respect for human dignity and the protection of religious freedom. The event repeated, every three years and always saw the participation of a delegation from the Vatican.

Leafing through the pages of the history of the country, shows the audience that Pope Benedict XVI granted the President Nazarbayev on November 6, 2009. They discussed among other topics, economic crisis and commitment of believers in the life of the nation, at the meeting. And it is the city of Astana which hosted OSCE in December 2010, the OSCE summit, which the Holy See participated with a delegation headed by Cardinal. Bertone, secretary of state.

In 2011, however, the local Church expresses some concern about a new law approved by Parliament - which came into force a year later - on religious freedom. The legislation requires compulsory registration of all religious groups, allowing them to worship, but performs censure their material; establishes new rules for the construction of new places of worship and prohibits any form of religious expression in public places.

In September 2012, card. Sodano visited Kazakhstan, this time as Dean of the College of Cardinals, on the occasion of the dedication of the Cathedral of Karaganda, dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. The place of the Cathedral is significant, because, at one time, there was the Karlag, the network of 26 gulag that, under Stalin, martyred many Catholic priests.