ASIA/UZBEKISTAN - “Social malcontent and poverty are at the root of local protests”, says Franciscan Fr. Krzysztof Kukulka missionary in Uzbekistan

Tuesday, 17 May 2005

Vatican City (Fides Service) - “We are grieving for the death of so many people. Uzbeks are a friendly peace loving people. These protests arise from malcontent and poverty. Unless economic and social reforms are started the situation could be repeated”, said missionary Franciscan Fr Krzysztof Kukulka missionary who resides in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
Following disorder in recent days, many were killed in fierce repression in Fergana valley in the east of the country. President Karimov has said that radical Islamic groups are behind the violence but many observers say the ordinary people are exasperated by poverty and hardship. The country is an important producer of cotton, gas and oil, but the majority of people live in conditions of extreme poverty. Corruption is widespread and there is a yawning gap between a rich elite and the poor farmers masses.
Central Asia with the republics of Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, covers an area of 4 million sq km and has a total population of 49 million 80% Muslim. But there is a small although deeply rooted Christian community. Under Soviet rule the peoples of this region were subject to an ideology of atheism and collectivism. With the fall of the USSR in 1990s there came a spiritual re-awakening among Christians although with difficulty due to a scarcity of clergy, religious and catechists, religious publications, churches and means of information and in addition extremely difficult living conditions..
In Uzbekistan, former territory of the Soviet Union and independent since 1991, the first Catholic Mission was opened on 29 September 1997 although Christianity had been present here since the 9th century. Islam arrived here in the 7th century. Today the population of about 25 million is 95% Muslim and 1.1% Christian including 4,000 Catholics gathered in three parishes and three mission stations. Pope John Paul II raised the Mission to an Apostolic Administration on March 22, 2005 and appointed first apostolic administrator and titular Bishop of Nara Fr Jerzy Maculewicz O.F.M. Conv., Assistant General of the Order of friars Minor for Eastern Europe..
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 17/5/2005 righe 33 parole 387)


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