By Vatican News staff writer
Pope Francis has expressed the desire to travel to Kazakhstan on the occasion of the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions to be held in September in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan (former Astana). This was confirmed by the Drector of the Holy See Press Office Matteo Bruni.
The Pope spoke about this possible journey during a live video conversation he held on Monday with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The First Congress of World and Traditional Religions was held in the city in 2003 on the model of the “Day of Prayer for Peace” convened in Assisi, Italy, by Pope St. John Paul II in January 2002, to reaffirm the positive contribution religious traditions to dialogue and harmony between peoples and nations after the tensions following the attacks of 11 September 2001.
The upcoming interreligious Congress in Nur-Sultan will focus on the theme: “The Role of Leaders of World and Traditional Faiths in the Socio-Spiritual Development of Humanity in the aftermath of the pandemic”.
