Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Meets with Governor of St. Petersburg A.D. Beglov

September 4, 2026. St. Petersburg, Russia. A meeting between the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, and Governor of the Northern Capital Alexander Dmitrievich Beglov took place at Smolny, the Governor’s official residence.

The meeting was attended by O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Honored Art Worker of Russia, and P.V. Sokolov, Personal Secretary to Metropolitan Alexander.

During their conversation, Alexander Dmitrievich told Metropolitan Alexander about life in the metropolis and informed the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan about the city administration’s cooperation with the St. Petersburg Metropolia in implementing various cultural and charitable initiatives and preserving the city’s rich historical heritage.

The Governor shared his impressions of the bringing to St. Petersburg of a great Orthodox shrine – the incorrupt right hand of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker, which was venerated by 130,000 faithful.

Alexander Dmitrievich congratulated the archpastor on being awarded the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland,” Second Class, of the Russian Federation, and Oleg Nikolayevich Ovchinnikov on being awarded the honorary title “Honored Worker of Kazakhstan” by decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev, in recognition of outstanding achievements in culture and special services to the state.

Metropolitan Alexander, in turn, told the head of the city administration about the life of the Metropolitan District, with particular emphasis on major international events – the “Paschal Hymn” Festival of Orthodox Choral Music, the Fourth Scientific Conference “Philosophy of Religion in East and West,” the Eurasian Orthodox Youth Forum “Heaven. Man. Steppe,” and the First All-Kazakhstan Congress on Church Social and Charitable Work “Serving One’s Neighbor.”

The Metropolitan provided statistics on the number of dioceses, monasteries, parishes and clergy, and spoke about the implementation of social and charitable, educational and youth projects, as well as the work of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary.

The participants exchanged views on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

The hierarch informed the Governor about an upcoming event of great spiritual significance for all of Kazakhstan – the bringing of the incorrupt right hand of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker to the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District in September of this year, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’.

During the conversation, Russian-Kazakh relations were discussed. It was noted that the Republic of Kazakhstan pursues an active foreign policy, enjoys considerable authority on the international stage and maintains allied relations with Russia. The parties also discussed the current global political situation and a number of issues related to the peacebuilding mission of Orthodoxy. Metropolitan Alexander emphasized the unifying role of K.-J.K. Tokayev in the development of state-confessional and interfaith dialogue in Kazakhstan, noting that the President attaches great importance to the spiritual and moral dimension of public life and regards the strengthening of good-neighborly relations and brotherly love among the country’s citizens as a foundation for its development.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Metropolitan Alexander and A.D. Beglov wished one another good health and success in their service to the people.