MEETING WITH
THE PRESIDENT OF KAZAKHSTAN
VATICAN CITY, 6 NOV 2009 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:
Today, Friday 6 November 2009, His Holiness Benedict XVI received in audience Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Mr Nazarbayev subsequently went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
During the course of the cordial discussions, attention turned to questions concerning the economic crisis in the light of the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, to inter-religious dialogue and to the promotion of peace, on the eve of Kazakhstan's presidency of the Organisation for Security and Co- operation in Europe (OSCE).
At a bilateral level consideration was given, with satisfaction, to the good relations that exist between the Holy See and the Republic of Kazakhstan, and to certain themes concerning the current situation of life in the country.
Mention was also made of the peaceful coexistence between faithful of various religions, and the hope expressed that believers may have an ever more active role in the life of the nation and in favour of the common good.
Like Andrea Tornielli, Sandro Magister and Paolo Rodari before her, Angela Ambrogetti, on her fairly new blog, is able to report news in addition to her own commentary when she cannot do so in the regular newspages of the publication she writes for. Very often, the blog items by the Vaticanistas show journalistic enterprise, as in Ambrogetti's report on the Holy Father's audience for the President of Kazakhastan today.
I think, in this case, she was one of the pool reporters, but why don't other pool reporters do the same thing regularly, instead of leaving us with only the SOP-orific, mind-deadening formulations of the official Vatican communiques?
Benedict XVI's 'theological diplomacy'
by Angela Ambrogetti
Translated from her blog
Nov. 6, 2009
"Thank you for having organized John Paul II's visit to Kazakhstan and for your commitment to religious freedom," Benedict XVI told President Nursultan Nuzarbayev of Kazakhstan today.
Indeed, just a few days after September 11, 2001, Nuzarbayev had hosted the late Pope in Astana in a trip that had near-epic dimension. And he continues to be President of a nation that produly hoists tehstandard of secularity.
Kazakhstan was one of the autonomous republics of the Soviet Union, which had a fairly soft transition to independence thanks to Nuzarbayev himself, who had led it under Communism, and ably led it as an independent nation while exercising intelligent management of the country's rich mineral resources.
With more than a hundred tribes with their own traditions, a majority of them non-observant Sunni Muslims, Kazakhstan has some Christians, but less than 1 percent of the population is Catholic. In addition to the official language Kazakh, spoken mostly in the south of the country, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian are also spoken.
Nuzarbayev spoke to Benedict XVI in Russian, with two interpreters on hand. He came out obviously pleased with the audience. The Pope sent him off with a blessing, for which the self-declared atheist thanked him enthusiastically.
The Vatican communique devoted a few lines to what they talked about.
[See full text posted above.]
Perhaps to underline how much his government counts on the secular coexistence of faiths, religions and customs in his country, the Kazakh President presented the Pope with a reproduction in silver and enamel of Astana's Palce of Peace and Consensus - a mega-pyramid on a hilltop near the presidential palace, "which looks up towards Paradise", he told the Pope. To which Benedict replied, "Yes, it is a place for concord".
It is, in fact, an imposing achievement of engineering which serves as a conference center for cultural and inter-religious events. Completed in 2006, it hosted the first Congress of World Religions back in 2003, with the participation of a Vatican delegation led by Cardinal Josef Tomko who brought a message from John Paul II.
The late Pope called the Congress a new initiative that echoes the 'spirit of Assisi' and would contribute to promote "respect for human dignity, the defense of religious freedom, and the growth of reciprocal understanding among peoples".
The latest edition of the Congress took place last July at which Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, President of the Pontical Council for Inter-Religious Dialog, led the Vatican delegation.
Benedict XVI has a series of diplomatic encounters on his schedule this month. On Thursday, Nov. 12, he will receive the President of Croatia; on Nov. 13, the Prime Minister of Hungary; and on Nov. 14, the President of Serbia and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. On November 28, Presidents Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Cristina Fernandez of Argentina will visit to mark the 25th anniversary of their nations' agreement over the Beagle Channel, in which the Vatican played an intermediary role.
Also coming to visit before year's end is the Emir of Kuwait, but the date has not been settled.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 06/11/2009 23:55]