As part of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana diocese, the spiritual and cultural center of the Metropolitan District was visited by the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan M.S. As

September 28, 2024. Astana. The Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Maulen Sagatkhanovich Ashimbayev visited the spiritual, cultural and administrative center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.

In the fireplace room, the Speaker of the Senate met with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The meeting was attended by: Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, member of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, chairman of the Synodal Department for Religious Education and Catechesis; secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov; dean of the parishes of the capital Archimandrite Sergiy (Karamyshev); acting rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, head of the information department of the Metropolitan District Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the protocol service of the Metropolitan Archdeacon Roman Golovin; head of the public foundation "Apostle Fund" G.G. Sosnovsky; deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan from the Kostanay region S.A. Karplyuk, head of the Senate apparatus M.A. Spotkay. Maulen Sagatkhanovich congratulated Metropolitan Alexander on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana diocese and all Orthodox believers on this important event and noted that all conditions are being created in Kazakhstan for the citizens of the country to realize their religious and spiritual needs. The Senate Speaker highly appreciated the activities to strengthen interethnic peace and interreligious harmony in the country of the two leading confessions of Kazakhstan - Islam of the Hanafi madhhab and Orthodox Christianity. The distinguished guest emphasized the importance of these traditional religions in preserving and passing on to future generations the rich civilizational heritage of Kazakhstan, which is reflected in the preamble of the Law "On Religious Activity and Religious Associations".

"For centuries, Kazakhstan has been a common home for both Muslims and Christians. During the tragic years of repression in the 20th century, it also became a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people. I am confident that under the leadership of the head of state, our country will retain the glory of the land where Muslims and Christians live in peace and harmony with representatives of other religions, making their contribution to its creation and looking to the future with confidence,” the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan noted in turn.

The meeting participants highly appreciated the spiritually significant initiative - the bringing to the Republic, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', of the relics of the holy blessed old woman Matrona of Moscow, which will visit all dioceses of the Metropolitan District.

A significant topic of communication was the discussion of the topics of the upcoming Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which will launch the preparation of the upcoming international forum scheduled for autumn 2025.

At the end of the meeting, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, the hierarchs and the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic exchanged wishes for health and success in their work. Metropolitan Alexander presented M.S. Ashimbayev, books published by the publishing department of the Metropolitan District, and stamps with images of churches that are spiritual and cultural landmarks of the country - the Assumption Cathedral of Astana, the Ascension Cathedral and the Alexander Nevsky Church of Alma-Ata and the Nativity of Christ Cathedral in the city of Uralsk. Two cathedrals depicted on the stamps - the Ascension and the Nativity of Christ - are included in the list of one hundred national sacred sites of Kazakhstan.