CT News
Sep 19, 2025 : A two-day global gathering focused on faith has concluded in Kazakhstan. The 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions brought together more than 100 delegations from around the world, affirming cooperation, dialogue, and a shared commitment to peace. With wars ongoing across the globe, the congress placed a strong emphasis on the urgent need for peace.
Pope Leo XIV sent a message to participants in which he stressed that interreligious collaboration is not about erasing differences but about embracing diversity.
The congress was first convened in 2003 on the initiative of Kazakhstan’s first President Nursultan Nazarbayev, inspired by the interreligious meeting at Assisi in 1986 and strengthened by Pope John Paul II’s visit to Kazakhstan in 2001. Since then, it has been held every three years in Astana, bringing together leaders of major religions to foster peace and mutual understanding. The Holy See has participated since the beginning, and Pope Francis himself attended the previous congress in 2022.
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