The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan met with the Akim of Shymkent G.A. Syzdykbekov

January 13, 2025. Shymkent. A meeting was held in the city administration between the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan Alexander and the Akim of the metropolis Gabit Abdimazhitovich Syzdykbekov.

The meeting was attended by: Bishop of Chimkent and Turkestan Chrysanthus, Secretary of the Chimkent Diocese A.B. Demin, Deputy Akim of Shymkent Sarsen Abaevich Kuranbek, Head of the City Department of Religious Affairs Bakhtiyar Altaevich Unerbayev.

The Akim of Shymkent and the Head of the Metropolitan District exchanged congratulations on the New Year and the Nativity of Christ. It was noted that in his congratulations on the holiday of Nativity, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.-Zh.K. Tokayev said that "Orthodoxy makes an important contribution to strengthening the unity and solidarity of our people, promoting the values of patriotism, creativity and responsibility that underlie our national identity."

The main topic of conversation between the Metropolitan Bishop and the head of the executive power of the city of Shymkent was the discussion of the implementation of a historically and spiritually significant project - the creation of a memorial chapel in Lisya Balka in memory of the huge number of hierarchs, clergy, monks and laity who were innocently killed in this place during the years of repression. The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan told the akim that among the thousands of Orthodox Christians buried in Lisya Balka were such outstanding archpastors as Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan, Metropolitan Joseph (Petrovykh), Archbishop Alexy (Orlov), Bishop Evgeny (Kobranov).

Metropolitan Alexander told Gabit Abdimazhitovich about the meeting that took place in Moscow at the end of last year between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Maulen Sagatkhanovich Ashimbayev, during which His Holiness was presented with an official invitation from the head of state to the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which will be held on September 17-18, 2025. The Metropolitan emphasized that the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church accepted the invitation of the President of Kazakhstan and preparations for the Primate's visit have already begun.

The head of the Metropolitan District noted that during the conversation between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Maulen Sagatkhanovich, His Holiness touched upon the topic of perpetuating the memory of those who suffered for their faith in the infamous Lisya Balka. Among the host of those who suffered for Christ, His Holiness the Bishop singled out the name of the holy martyr Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan, who served his exile in Shymkent, was shot and buried in Lisya Balka.

His Holiness told the Speaker of the Senate that at an early age he had been told about Metropolitan Kirill by Archpriest Viktor Golubev, who served in Shymkent in 1953.

Metropolitan Alexander informed his interlocutor that the noble initiative of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had been considered by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who, having studied the issue, approved the construction of two religious memorials in Lisya Balka – an Orthodox chapel and a Muslim mosque, since this place was the final resting place of the innocently murdered representatives of Islam and Orthodoxy, the two leading traditional Kazakh faiths.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan spoke about the project of the future Orthodox memorial selected and approved by the architectural commission of the Metropolitan District and expressed hope that with the support of benefactors and the kind assistance of the city authorities, a memorial chapel will be built for the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to Kazakhstan.

During the conversation, various issues related to the cooperation of the leadership of the city of Shymkent and the Shymkent diocese were also discussed.

At the end of the conversation, which took place in a friendly atmosphere, the head of the secular authority of the city and the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan exchanged wishes of health and success in serving the people of Kazakhstan.