Father Ruslan, 39, has just been appointed head of a Catholic seminary in the country. On the occasion of the Pope’s visit to the country, Fr Ruslan pointed out: “The Catholics here are a small flock and we expect more motivation from Pope Francis.
(Vatican News Network)Father Ruslan Rakhimberlinov has been appointed as the new director of the Kazakh Catholic seminary, the only Catholic seminary in Central Asia. On the occasion of the Pope’s visit to Kazakhstan, Fr Ruslan told this news website: “For us, Pope Francis’ visit in Kazakhstan is an opportunity for our little Catholic community, the ‘little flock’, to gain a share Powerful opportunity.”
Father Ruslan is the first Kazakh abbot of a Catholic seminary in Kazakhstan. His father is of Kazakh ethnicity and his mother is from Ukraine. Father Ruslan explained that the country has always determined one’s ethnicity by patrilineal blood. Father Ruslan first met the Catholic Church at the age of 15 or 16. Later, he felt his vocation as a priest, and with the encouragement of his relatives and friends, he entered the Karaganda Seminary and was ordained a priest in 2008.
From this, the dean spoke of long-standing local thinking, saying: “For some people, if you are Kazakh, you must always be a Muslim. If you are Russian, you must be Orthodox. If you are Polish or German, you have to be Catholic. I often come across this conversation, or even this accusation: ‘What are you doing there? You are Kazakh, you have to believe in your ancestors faith!”
However, such thinking appears to be gradually shifting. Fr Ruslan points out, “Today people respect a person’s free choice more, and many understand my choice, as do my relatives. For me, it is also a responsibility: it is crucial that the The deeply rooted Gospel and Christianity can be widely known here. May people gradually understand what Christianity is, what the Good News is, who the Lord Christ is, and what the Catholic Church is.”
Link website: www.vaticannews.cn