TO KAZAKHS: BE A BRIDGE BETWEEN EUROPE AND ASIA

VATICAN CITY, SEP 25, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning said Mass in private and then blessed the new chapel of the apostolic nunciature in Astana. At 10:30 a.m. he arrived at the international airport for a brief farewell ceremony before his departure for Armenia. He thanked Kazakhstan's president for his "exquisite hospitality" and also expressed his gratitude to the civil and religious authorities present to see him off.

In his speech in Russian, the Pope underscored how the "dear people" of Kazakhstan had "suffered years of harsh persecution, but has not hesitated to commit itself with enthusiasm to the path of development."

"Love one another!" John Paul II urged the citizens of Kazakhstan. "This country, home to men and women of different origins, needs solid agreements and stable social relations. It is not an exaggeration to say that your country has a vocation all its own: that of being, in an ever more conscious way, a bridge between Europe and Asia. May this be your civil and religious choice. Be a bridge made up of people who embrace other people: people who communicate fullness of life and hope."

"In saying farewell to you, dear Kazakh people, I wish to assure you that the Church will continue to be at your side. In close cooperation with the other religious communities and with all men and women of goodwill, Catholics will not fail to do their part to ensure that all together can build a common home which is ever more welcoming."

The Pope added that "the quest for harmony has characterized relations between Christianity and Islam here ever since the formation of the Turkish Khanate in the endless spaces of your steppes, and this has enabled your country to become a junction between East and West on the great Silk Road. The younger generations too should follow this path with renewed commitment."

"I have come among you as a pilgrim of hope," he concluded, "and I now prepare to undertake my return journey, not without emotion and nostalgia."

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