His Holiness Patriarch Kirill Spoke at the Opening of the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions

On September 17, 2025, in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, the solemn opening of the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions took place on the theme “Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Sake of the Future.” The conference is attended by more than 100 religious leaders from 60 countries of the world.

The event is attended by the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’.

The delegation includes: Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Head of the Metropolis in the Republic of Kazakhstan; Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Head of the Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Affairs of Dioceses in the Near Abroad; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; V.R. Legoyda, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and Mass Media; Priest Ilya Kashitsyn, Secretary for Interreligious Relations.

Among the Church participants were also: Bishop Alexy of Ramensk, Personal Secretary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Kazakhstan Metropolis, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; Archpriest Andrei Bondarenko, Head of the Patriarchal Protocol Service; clergy of the Kazakhstan Metropolis.

On the eve of the Congress, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ met with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.-Zh.K. Tokayev.

The Congress was attended by: Head of Kazakhstan K.-Zh.K. Tokayev, Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and Head of the Congress Secretariat M.S. Ashimbaev, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I, Head of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue of the Roman Catholic Church Cardinal Dorj Jacob Kooovakad, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslim Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, Head of the Organization for Culture and Islamic Relations of Iran Hojjat-ul-Islam Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour, High Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Muhammad Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel David Yosef, Deputy Head of the Buddhist Order “Chogye” Jol Bom, Secretary-General of the Council of Muslim Elders Muhammad Abdelsalam, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel Kalman Ber, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan Mufti Nauryzbai Kazhy Taganuly, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin, Chairman of the Taoist Association of China Li Guangfu.

Among the Congress delegates were also: leaders of Islamic, Catholic, Lutheran, and Jewish communities of Kazakhstan, members of Parliament, diplomats, journalists, and experts, representatives of the leadership of Al-Azhar University, and Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and other religious communities from China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and other countries.

At the opening of the Congress, the participants were addressed with a welcoming speech by the President of Kazakhstan K.-Zh.K. Tokayev.

Then His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ spoke. In his address, he thanked the leadership of Kazakhstan for organizing the Congresses and for their attention to interreligious peacemaking dialogue. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized that attempts to build a world denying God leave humanity without a future. His Holiness stressed the importance of cooperation between religious leaders and leading international organizations such as the United Nations, noting that the idea of forming a consultative council of religious leaders at the UN has not lost its relevance.

“Religious leaders truly have something to say to the world so that it may become at least a little better, brighter, and safer in the future,” said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

There were also speeches by the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, a representative of the Roman Catholic Church, the leader of the Taoist community of China, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, and His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem. In a video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the participants. Then the High Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Alliance of Civilizations, and Omar Habtour Al-Darei, Chairman of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Awqaf and Zakat of the UAE, addressed the gathering.

After that, a ceremony was held for awarding state decorations of Kazakhstan and Congress medals to distinguished religious leaders and representatives of international organizations, as well as for the appointment of Congress Goodwill Ambassadors. Among the awardees was Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk and Zaslavl.

On the sidelines of the Congress, short meetings of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ took place with Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia, Mufti Nauryzbai Kazhy Taganuly of Kazakhstan, and Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade. During these meetings, the participants discussed matters of mutual interest and exchanged views on various issues related to religious life and relations among peoples and believers.

The work of the Congress will continue on September 18 in the format of the II Interreligious Youth Forum, panel discussions, and an expert round table devoted to the academic study of interreligious dialogue.