Kazakhstan: Russian pilgrims attend Papal Mass

Source: Vatican News

Pope Francis celebrated Mass with thousands of pilgrims in the 'EXPO Grounds' in Nur-Sultan, on the second day of his visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Among the crowds there was a small group from Russia. Organized by the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, under the motto 'We are witnesses of unity', they came to express the closeness and support of the Catholic Church in Russia to the Pope as he brings his message of peace and fraternity to neighbouring Kazakhstan in these difficult times for the region and the entire world.

On their journey to Kazakhstan the group had stopped in the Siberian city of Omsk, in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and visiting Karlag, one of the largest Soviet gulags. It was in Karlag, between 1930 and 1960, that tens of thousands of inmates, including Russian Christians, lost their lives. On Tuesday, Bishop Nikolai Dubinin, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Moscow, who is leading the group, presided over a Remembrance Mass at Karlag for those who died there during the Soviet persecutions.

In an interview with Vatican News, Bishop Nikolai Dubinin said it was important for these Russian pilgrims to visit Kazakhstan and meet the Holy Father on this special occasion. He said: "We have been praying for the Pope to visit to Russia for many years, and as Catholics we are still waiting for this visit to happen. Unfortunately, such a visit is not yet possible, but we haven't lost hope."

"A visit to a neighbouring country which is a former Soviet Republic and where the local Catholic Church shared the same fate [as the Church in Russia] in difficult times, has special meaning to us."

Although only a small number of faithful from Russia have been able to join the pilgrimage, the Bishop said that many Catholics across the country were joining spiritually with Pope Francis in his Apostolic Journey, especially during Wednesday's Mass on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Pope Francis' first two public speeches in Nur-Sultan focussed on the "thirst for world peace", and the key role of religions in building harmony and fraternity between peoples. He praised Kazakhstan as an example of peaceful coexistence between peoples of different faiths, cultures and nationalities.

In his homily during the Mass at the EXPO Grounds, the Pope said: "peace is never achieved once for all," and insisted that "commitment is demanded on the part of all if Kazakhstan is to keep growing in fraternity, dialogue, and understanding."

Referring specifically to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as well as in other areas of the world, Pope Francis prayed again "that we never grow accustomed to war, or resign to its perceived inevitability."

Read the Pope's full homily text here: www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2022/documents/20220914-omelia-kazakhstan.html

Watch a brief video of the Pope's day in Kazakhstan: www.youtube.com/watch?