April 8, 2025 – Kokshetau. A meeting took place at the regional administration between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Head of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan, and the Akim of Akmola Region, M.M. Akhmetzhanov.
Participants from the Orthodox Church included Archbishop Barsanuphius of Kokshetau and Akmola, and the Secretary of the Kokshetau Diocesan Administration, Dean of the Resurrection Cathedral, Priest Valery Anferov. Representing the regional government were Deputy Akim D.Ye. Aitbayev, Head of the Regional Department of Internal Policy G.T. Karimova, and Head of the Department for Religious Affairs B.N. Kasenov.
In his welcoming address, the Akim warmly thanked Metropolitan Alexander for his visit and for the special attention given to the life of Orthodox believers in the Akmola Region. Marat Muratovich emphasized that constructive dialogue between the executive authority and the leading traditional religions of the Republic—Hanafi Islam and Orthodox Christianity—has always been, and remains, an essential condition for preserving interreligious peace and interethnic harmony in the region.
As the Primate of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander introduced his counterpart to the newly appointed ruling bishop of the Kokshetau Diocese—Archbishop Barsanuphius, who was appointed to the see by decision of the Holy Synod on March 20, 2025 (Journal No. 7).
His Eminence expressed hope for the continued development of constructive relations between the civil authorities and the Church in the region, which would promote brotherly love and mutual respect among people of different ethnicities and religions, and serve as a guarantee for the preservation of traditional spiritual and moral values in society.
During the conversation, the regional governor briefed Metropolitan Alexander and Archbishop Barsanuphius on the life of the region—known as the country’s main breadbasket—and noted the positive growth in economic indicators. The Akim also spoke about the region’s ongoing efforts to prevent spring flooding, including the strengthening of protective dikes, increased oversight of water diversion, and ensuring emergency preparedness.
The Head of the Metropolitan District informed the Akim about the life of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan, which this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of its canonical and legal status, and about the upcoming Patriarchal visit to the country by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who will arrive in Astana at the invitation of the President of the Republic, K.-Zh.K. Tokayev, to participate in the Eighth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
Metropolitan Alexander noted that the Patriarchal itinerary includes a visit to the site of the spiritual feats and martyrdom of the New Martyrs of the Church of Christ and the mass grave of prisoners from the Akmolinsk Camp of Wives of Traitors to the Motherland (ALZHIR) in the Tselinograd District of Akmola Region. His Holiness will serve a prayer service in the Church of the New Martyrs of Akmola and consecrate the foundation stone of a memorial complex in honor of the innocent sufferers for the faith. The participants discussed plans for landscaping the adjacent territory and repairing the road leading to the memorial church.
Metropolitan Alexander, Archbishop Barsanuphius, and the regional head also discussed a wide range of issues concerning cooperation between the Kokshetau Diocese of the Metropolitan District and the administration of Akmola Region. Among the topics was the preparation of state and public events in honor of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Archbishop Barsanuphius shared with M.M. Akhmetzhanov his life journey and his pastoral ministry in Adygea and Donetsk. “I never imagined that the Lord would grant me the honor of arriving here, on Kazakh soil—washed in the blood of new martyrs and adorned by the labors of confessors of the faith. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill blessed me to serve within the bounds of the Metropolitan District, reminding me that the great treasure of this ancient land is its interconfessional peace and interethnic harmony—something that must be carefully preserved and strengthened. I accepted this calling with joy, and now I have come to the Akmola Region—this granary of the country—to labor diligently for the glory of Holy Orthodoxy, and for the benefit and welfare of the people of Kazakhstan,” said the newly appointed hierarch.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants exchanged well-wishes and commemorative gifts.
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