“The construction of the new church will also have an international significance,” said Valerij Dil, advisor to Kyrgyz President Sadir Japarov.
Newsroom (15/11/2022 11:45 AM, Gaudium Press) — A top government official in Kyrgyzstan has termed the construction of the first Catholic cathedral in the country as a sign of the Muslim-majority nation’s commitment to democratic values and religious freedom.
“Our Republic adheres to democratic principles and that of the freedom to profess one’s faith. The construction of the cathedral church is proof of this,” said Valerij Dil, advisor to Kyrgyz President Sadir Japarov.
The official made his remarks on Nov. 9, during a press conference organized by the Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan to unveil its construction plans for the new Cathedral in the national capital Bishkek, Vatican’s Fides news agency reported on Nov. 14.
“The construction of the new church will also have an international significance,” Dil said.
The official stated that the project was not only a key development for the people of the catholic faith but also all Kyrgyz people.
Without revealing an expected start date, the officials from the Apostolic Administration stated that cathedral construction may start during the winter months between December 2022 to April 2023 and end in three years.
Jesuit Father Anthony James Corcoran, Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan Pope Francis encouraged the Church’s mission in the country during his recent Papal visit to Kazakhstan.
The Pope also blessed the cathedral’s first stone during his visit to Nur Sultan in Kazakhstan in September 2022.
Jesuit Brother Damian Wojciechowski, treasurer of the Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan stated that the present church of the World War II era was located at the periphery of the city making it virtually invisible.
“In a country with a Muslim majority, there are those who do not even know the existence of the parish far from the center,” he said.
“They paved the road that leads to the church only a year ago,” Brother Wojciechowski said highlighting the transportation and connectivity issues in the region.
The existing church was constructed during the Soviet era in 1969 for a small community of German Catholics who were deported during the Second World War.
Brother Wojciechowski also highlighted that the new cathedral would solve the space constraints that hinder the service provided to the gradually increasing Catholics in the capital city.
“The spaces we have now are limited and do not allow us to carry out all the activities we would like.”
“Thanks to the new premises adjacent to the cathedral, we will be able to propose a series of cultural initiatives, prayer and Bible reading meetings, aimed at different age groups,” Brother Wojciechowski added.
Church officials in the country estimate that around 500 Catholics attend church services at seven parishes located across the country. The country has a total population of 6.6 million, according to the World Bank in 2021.
Despite being a minuscule minority in the country, the Catholic Church has never backed down in its charitable activities for the people of Kyrgyzstan who face poverty and corruption in a rapidly growing economy, says Brother Wojciechowski.
“Proclaiming the Gospel also means helping the new generations to orient their lives towards building a more just and welcoming society for all,” he said.
The three main Catholic churches are located in Bishkek, Jalal-Abad, and Talas.
Catholics who live in far-flung parishes gather to pray in private homes and receive periodical visits from the missionaries who work in the country.
Jesuits are the leading group among the Catholic missionaries working in the country. The ten Jesuits hail from various nationalities including Slovenia, Vietnam, the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Poland.
Members of other congregations include five nuns from School Sisters of St. Francis, three Consolata Missionary Sisters, and a diocesan priest from Slovakia.
Some nuns from the Missionary Sisters of Charity congregation founded by Mother Teresa have also arrived in Bishkek and that they would open their convent soon in the capital, Fides reported.
In 1999, Pope John Paul II erected an independent mission in Kyrgyzstan, and Pope Benedict XVI set up the Apostolic Administration in 2006.
– Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News
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