ALMATY – Pope Leo XIV greeted a group of thirty Kazakh pilgrims from the Karaganda diocese during the Sunday Angelus prayer on Aug. 24 at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Photo credit: Vatican News
The pilgrims, who traveled to Italy from Aug. 20–24 as part of the Jubilee Year celebrations, visited four Papal basilicas and prayed at sacred sites significant to the history of the Catholic Church, reported the Vatican News agency on Aug. 27.
The greeting comes just weeks ahead of the eighth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, scheduled for Sept. 17–18 in Astana. Since its launch in 2003, the Congress has become a major global platform for interfaith dialogue, bringing together religious leaders and scholars from across the world.
Kazakhstan maintains longstanding ties with the Vatican, marked by Pope John Paul II’s historic visit in 2001 and Pope Benedict XVI’s support for Kazakhstan’s interfaith initiatives in 2013.
Most recently, Pope Francis visited Kazakhstan in 2022 for the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and later welcomed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Vatican in January 2024, reaffirming the country’s role in promoting peaceful coexistence and dialogue.
