On the eve of Pope Francis’ visit to Kazakhstan, Bishop Del Oro of the Diocese of Karaganda in the country told this news network about the situation and challenges of the local church.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis is about to leave for Kazakhstan on September 13, and local Catholics are full of anticipation. Adelio Dell’Oro, Bishop of Karaganda, spoke to this news network ahead of the Pope’s visit to discuss the situation and challenges of the local Church.
Kazakhstan is divided into four ecclesiastical districts, each of which is named after its cathedral rather than its geographic administrative region. Therefore, the names of the four dioceses in the country are: Archdiocese of Astana-Nur-Sultan of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, Diocese of Holy Trinity of Almaty, Diocese of Karaganda, and Apostolic Administrator of Atyrau. There are 70 parishes in the country with about 100 priests. On the occasion of the Pope’s visit, many Catholic pilgrimage groups also came from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Kyrgyzstan with great anticipation.
Bishop Del Oro introduced the sparsely populated diocese of Karaganda to this news network. He said: “As we all know, during the 70 years of the Soviet regime, any form of religious expression was banned, and not only Catholics, but believers of all religions were forced to experience their faith in secret. For example, six years ago in September , Father Władysław Bukowiński, a friend of Pope Wojtywa who was beatified after spending 13 and a half years in a labor camp, was released It was in Karaganda, working hard in the area because they couldn’t leave. Survivors of the labor camps, including many Catholics, also lived here. There was also a woman named Gertrude Detzel at the time : She also spent 13 years in a labor camp. After her release, she organized a number of Catholic groups in private, right here in Karaganda. Last August, we were beaten by Dezere The case initiated the parish process.”
The bishop of Karaganda went on to explain that in 1991, when Kazakhstan became an independent state, everyone was finally able to act in public. “Many priests were also invited, mainly from Germany and Poland, to build Church structures, build churches, organize parish life. Here I see the courage of the first missionaries on the one hand, and the limitations on the other. , which is what we call, only take care of Catholics of the same nationality as one’s own. Moreover, after the founding of the country, many Catholics, especially Germans and Poles, returned to the motherland. Therefore, although these groups were very active after 1991, A large number, but also shrinking over time. Given this history, my greatest concern is to ask ourselves whether all the sacrifices made by our predecessors as believers are still worthwhile, whether we are destined to disappear, or whether God is dealing with Do we make other demands?”
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