Pray for Kazakhstan: Remembering Pope Francis and His Connection to Astana

Pope Francis, who led the Catholic Church for over a decade, passed away in the Vatican on the morning of April 21. During his papacy, he became only the second Pope in history to visit Kazakhstan. 

Orda.kz looks back at what tied Pope Francis to Kazakhstan, his historic visit to Astana, and the moments of both admiration and disagreement with local Catholic leaders.

An Example For The Whole World

Pope Francis' visit to Kazakhstan in 2022 was one of the most memorable events of the year. He traveled to Astana (then Nur-Sultan) to participate in the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, where he delivered a speech and led an open-air mass. 

The pontiff's address focused on the pursuit of peace and the protection of the rights of women and young people. He singled out the people of Kazakhstan for their ability to live in harmony and avoid conflict. Francis also highlighted the country's ethnic diversity, its commitment to preserving historical memory, and its embrace of humanistic values, particularly its rejection of both the death penalty and nuclear weapons.

The people of Kazakhstan are open to tomorrow. Thanks to their interfaith and interculturality, they set an example for the whole world.Pope Francis. 

He called on the faithful to pray for Kazakhstan’s peace and prosperity.

The open-air mass led by Pope Francis in Kazakhstan’s capital drew around 10,000 worshipers. Catholics from across the country, as well as those from abroad, gathered for the event. In his sermon, the Pope centered his message on the themes of peace and compassion.

Peace is never achieved once and for all; like integral development, social justice and the harmonious coexistence of different ethnic groups and religious traditions, it must be achieved anew each day. Commitment is demanded on the part of all if Kazakhstan is to keep growing in “fraternity, dialogue and understanding… building bridges of solidarity and cooperation with other peoples, nations and cultures,he said. 

Dombra Is A Harmony

Pope Francis also reflected on the symbolism found in Kazakhstan’s culture and national symbols. He saw spiritual meaning in the flag, where the golden eagle represented an earthly authority and the turquoise background symbolized spirituality.

He even drew inspiration from the dombra, describing it as a metaphor for the harmony the world so desperately needs:

I have come here as a pilgrim of peace, seeking dialogue and unity. Our world urgently needs peace: it needs to recover harmony. A harmony that, here in this country, can be illustrated by what I have learned is one of its traditional musical instruments: the dombra. The dombra is a hallmark of your culture and one of the most important symbols of Kazakhstan.

Pray for Kazakhstan

Pope Francis continued to express solidarity with Kazakhstan even after his visit. In April 2024, during severe floods in the country, he mentioned Kazakhstan in a General Audience at the Vatican, calling on the global Catholic community to pray for those affected by the disaster.

When Views Collided

On several issues, including the Church’s stance on homosexuality, Pope Francis adopted a more progressive approach than his predecessors. He stressed that while certain behaviors may be viewed as sinful from a religious standpoint, sin is not a crime and should not justify persecution or discrimination. In 2023, he approved a doctrine permitting Catholic priests to bless individuals in same-sex unions, though such unions would still not be recognized as marriages.

Interestingly, this decision resonated even in Kazakhstan. Bishops from the Catholic Archdiocese in Astana publicly urged the Pope to reconsider, arguing that the blessing of same-sex couples contradicts long-standing Church teachings and traditions upheld for two millennia.

In Kazakhstan, Pope Francis’s stance was met with resistance—the Archdiocese in Astana declined to bless members of the LGBT+ community, insisting that such blessings would only be possible if individuals showed sincere repentance and a commitment to renounce their “public sinful state.”

This wasn’t the first time the Catholic clergy in Astana openly disagreed with the Pope. After Francis spoke at the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, Astana Bishop Athanasius Schneider publicly criticized the address, sharing his views with foreign media from inside the capital’s Catholic church.

Bishop Schneider, known for his ultra-conservative views, criticized the Pope’s openness toward other faiths, warning that such tolerance “risks placing Catholicism on the same level as other religions.” He also asserted that “there is only one true religion — the Catholic Church.”

Francis never adopted a hardline approach, believing instead that Catholics should lead by example rather than impose their faith on others. Fittingly, during his only visit to Kazakhstan, the late pontiff quoted Abay:

“He who permits evil, and does not oppose it, cannot be regarded as a true believer.”

Original Author: Nikita Drobny