POPE FRANCIS
'I pray for them and for their families, and I hope that social harmony will return as soon as possible through the pursuit of dialogue, justice and the common good. I entrust the Kazakh people to the protection of Our Lady.'
These were the words the Pope dedicated to Kazakhstan, where large protests have been taking place since Jan. 2, due to rising fuel prices and repression at the hands of the Kazakh military and Russian forces.
From Almaty, the center of the protests, Catholic bishop José Luis Mumbiela recognizes the weight the Pope's words carry for his country.
BP. JOSÉ LUIS MUMBIELA
Bishop of Almaty (Kazakhstan)
“We felt very accompanied by those prayers, motivated, above all, by the Holy Father's very fraternal initiative, which we appreciate and notice.”
Kazakhstan experienced its first big crisis with lasting consequences after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The Spanish bishop witnessed those consequences in the period from his arrival to the Asian country in 1998 and his appointment as bishop in 2011.
BP. JOSÉ LUIS MUMBIELA
Bishop of Almaty (Kazakhstan)
“Now we are in a period of violence, vandalism, sacking and nervousness, especially here in Almaty. But, thank God, the situation is being handled in such a way that has restored a lot of calm and normalcy.”
Bp. José Luis Mumbiela is confident that the people of Kazakhstan will be able to overcome this crisis, as they have in the past.
BP. JOSÉ LUIS MUMBIELA
Bishop of Almaty (Kazakhstan)
“We dream of that beautiful Kazakhstan, which is real, where we can all coexist peacefully. And we ask those with the power to govern the people, to find those bridges of fraternity the Pope spoke about.”
Bp. José Luis Mumbiela continues to build bridges between generations in an effort to give Kazakhstan a better future.
BGA
TR: CT
