ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s Senate (Parliament’s upper chamber) Chairperson Maulen Ashimbayev led a parliamentary delegation to the Vatican on Dec. 11, where he personally delivered President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official invitation to undertake an apostolic visit to Kazakhstan to Pope Leo XIV.
Ftom L to R: Kazakhstan’s Senate Chairperson Maulen Ashimbayev and Pope Leo XIV. Photo credit: senate.parlam.kz.
The visit also included participation in an international roundtable on Kazakhstan’s interfaith initiatives and the Vatican’s spiritual leadership, as well as a series of high-level meetings with senior representatives of the Holy See, reported the upper chamber’s press service.
Quoting from Tokayev’s address, Ashimbayev said Kazakhstan “highly values the unwavering support of the Holy See for our efforts to promote peace, harmony, and mutual respect.” Tokayev also stressed the importance of further deepening cooperation, adding that an Apostolic visit “would be a great honor for Kazakhstan.”
Ashimbayev noted that the relationship between Kazakhstan and the Vatican is rooted in decades of constructive cooperation. He highlighted the Holy See’s continuous backing of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, a platform Kazakhstan sees as central to advancing global dialogue.
“The Secretariat has begun preparing a document on the role of religious organizations in combating climate change. We have also started developing an Ethical Code for the development of artificial intelligence, taking into account the views of religious leaders. We are ready for active cooperation with the institutions of the Catholic Church in this area,” Ashimbayev said, presenting Pope Leo XIV with a commemorative list of Catholic priests who were repressed in Kazakhstan.
Praising Kazakhstan’s interfaith leadership
Pope Leo XIV welcomed the Kazakh delegation and commended Kazakhstan’s contribution to global peacebuilding. He pointed to the work of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions as an example of meaningful international engagement in an increasingly turbulent world.
According to him, Kazakhstan’s initiatives in interreligious dialogue reflect an important “commitment to peace and global well-being,” and he reaffirmed the Holy See’s support for the congress and its mission.
Strengthening institutional partnership
Ashimbayev emphasized that the Holy See’s leadership in promoting spiritual values within technological progress remains highly influential.
“We greatly appreciate the Vatican’s leadership in promoting the primacy of spiritual values in the context of scientific and technological progress,” he said.
At an international roundtable held during the visit, participants discussed the evolving role of religious leaders in conflict prevention, global communication, and building moral responsibility across societies. Ashimbayev stressed that spiritual leaders today serve as reliable bridges between cultures and nations.
He reiterated that many faith leaders have endorsed Tokayev’s proposal to form a new global movement for peace.
“This initiative is aimed at reinvigorating international dialogue and uniting the efforts of all those striving to overcome disagreements and conflicts,” Ashimbayev said.
Kazakhstan’s International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue signed a memorandum of understanding, formalizing cooperation and the exchange of expertise.
