The President of Kazakhstan paid a visit to Pope Francis at the Vatican, where the two discussed the need for promoting peace and continuing interreligious dialogue.
The two exchanged gifts, which included a mosaic from the President depicting Lake Karakol in Kazakhstan. The Pope in turn gifted a tile portraying a statue of St. Peter with the dome of the Basilica in the background.
The last time Pope Francis met with this President was in September of 2022, during his papal trip to Kazakhstan, for which he followed in the footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II. While in Kazakhstan, Pope Francis attended the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions with the goal of strengthening interreligious ties.
POPE FRANCIS
We need leaders who, at the international level, allow people to have greater understanding and dialogue, who generate a new 'spirit of Helsinki'—the will to strengthen multilateralism, to build a more stable and peaceful world with the new generations in mind.
Less than 1% of the population of Kazakhstan is Catholic, but the country has had a diplomatic relationship with the Vatican for over 30 years, shortly after it gained its independence from the Soviet Union.
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