July 31, 2025. Astana. A meeting took place in the Senate of the Republic between the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, and the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the country, Maulen Sagatkhanovich Ashimbaev.
The meeting was also attended by the dean of the capital’s parishes, Archimandrite Sergy (Karamyshev), and the Chief of Staff of the Senate, M.A. Spotkai.
One of the significant topics of discussion was the upcoming VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, under the theme “Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Sake of the Future.” By mutual agreement, this large-scale forum is viewed as a substantial contribution of Kazakhstan to the global process of interfaith dialogue and holds a special place in strengthening the principles of harmony, mutual understanding, and cooperation on the international stage.
Maulen Sagatkhanovich emphasized that the Orthodox Church consistently contributes to the strengthening of global interreligious dialogue and the development of spiritual diplomacy at the international level and has, from the very beginning, provided comprehensive support for the Congress held in Kazakhstan.
A key topic of the discussion between the Speaker of the Senate and the Head of the Metropolis was the review of the preliminary program for the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to the Republic. It is expected that in addition to participating in the Congress, His Holiness will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the main church of the country – the Dormition Cathedral in Astana – as well as visit the site of the spiritual struggle and martyrdom of the new martyrs of the Church of Christ and the mass burial of prisoners of the Akmola camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland – “ALZHIR,” meet with the Kazakh archpastors and state leadership, and visit the construction site of the church and spiritual-educational center dedicated to All Saints who shone forth in the land of Kazakhstan.
Metropolitan Alexander and M.S. Ashimbaev discussed the implementation of the initiative proposed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to commemorate the Orthodox hierarchs, clergy, and laypeople who suffered for their faith on the territory of present-day southern Kazakhstan in the 20th century. His Holiness, who is well acquainted with the history of persecution against Orthodoxy, proposed the construction of a memorial church in Lisya Balka, located within the modern city of Shymkent. The tragically infamous Lisya Balka became the place of execution and final resting place for thousands of Orthodox Christians. Among them were Metropolitan Cyril (Smirnov) of Kazan, Metropolitan Joseph (Petrovykh), Archbishop Alexy (Orlov), Bishop Eugene (Kobranov), many other well-known archpastors and pastors, and a countless multitude of ordinary believers. The Metropolitan informed Maulen Sagatkhanovich that, in accordance with the will of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K.-Zh.K. Tokayev, in memory of the innocently slain in Lisya Balka – whose number, according to official data, exceeds 18,000 people – both a memorial mosque and an Orthodox chapel will be constructed this year. It is anticipated that Patriarch Kirill will consecrate the newly built chapel and conduct the first prayer service in it in memory of the new martyrs and in commemoration of the victims of political repression.
The Head of the Metropolis told the Chairman of the Senate about the stages of construction of the Orthodox spiritual-educational center in Astana, which will include a church in honor of All Saints of Kazakhstan. The hierarch shared his positive impressions from his recent visit to the construction site of the future church and spiritual-educational complex and the inspection of the work already completed. In particular, the archpastor noted with satisfaction that, in his presence, the installation of the dome structures was carried out on the church in honor of Saint Sergius of Radonezh.
His Eminence invited Maulen Sagatkhanovich to take part in the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the unique historical and archaeological relic – the Shroud of Turin – organized through the joint efforts of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, the international charitable organization Kirche in Not (Aid to the Church in Need), the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Astana, and the Order of Malta, which will take place on August 1 at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in the capital of the Republic.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Metropolitan Alexander and the Chairman of the Senate of the Republic exchanged wishes for good health and success in their labors.
Main
Login or register, to write a comment!
Your comment has been successfully added and is currently being reviewed by the site administration