Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Assisi (Agenzia Fides) - The Franciscans have responded with enthusiasm and generosity to the call of the Church in Kazakhstan, that has requested their presence in the immense central Asian country, in the “spirit of Assisi”- the spirit of dialogue, peace, and reconciliation that is characteristic of the Franciscan spirituality.
On February 12, three brothers left on their new missionary adventure. Representing the Order of Friars Minor are: Brother Roberto Peretti, of the Padua Province, for many years a missionary in Romania; Father Pawel Blok, of the Danzica Province, a 40-year-old with 14 years of priestly experience; and Father Alexei Skakovskii, a 27-year-old, native of Kazakhstan, who has been a member of the General Custody of Russia for 3 years.
The three received the solemn “missionary mandate” from the General Minister of the OFM, Fr. Marco Tasca, during a celebration in Assisi, at the Tomb of St. Francis. The General Minister presented the three with a Crucifix and the Gospel in the presence of numerous other friars of the Order, who later congratulated them. The Bishop of Astana asked that they be, above all, missionaries of spirituality for the Church there, working for dialogue and being servants of charity.
The Church in Kazakhstan is experiencing a phase of rebirth and progress. As a sign of their greater communion with the Church in Asia, the Bishops of Kazakhstan are becoming full-fledged members of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC). When the Central Committee of the FABC meets in April in Bangkok, it will formally accept the Bishops’ Conference of Kazakhstan as members. At the beginning of the new millenium, the Church in central Asia had only one bishop, however thanks to the constant efforts of religious and missionaries, the Catholic community is progressing and now has five bishops.
The Church in this central Asian country is still a small community that lives the faith with courage amidst a majority-Muslim population. In a country in which 40% of the population is Kazaka and Muslim, and 35% are Russian orthodox, the Catholics are a ethnically mixed group (including Ukrainians, Poles, and Germans from Volga) of about 185,000 faithful.
The current governmental system assures religious freedom for all. The relations between the Kazak state and the Catholic Church are well, thanks to an agreement that took effect in 1999. In the capital city, Astana, there is a Nunciature of the Holy See. The Church already has dedicated members working in diocese and parishes, and carries out the intense pastoral labors through priests and religious from various countries. Various ecclesial movements and new communities are also helping out with the apostolic work. The young people prove to be strong and committed in their Christian identity, fruit of the Church’s commitment to youth ministry. There is an ever-growing number of youth who continue to find the only response to their questions and for the meaning of their lives in Christ, and experience the Church as a true family. In Kazakhstan, the Church looks towards the future with confidence. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/2/2008; righe 40, parole 502)
